Nose Enhancement

People may get rhinoplasty to:

• Correct a birth defect.
• Improve overall appearance.
• Open blocked nasal passages caused by damage to the septum, the bone and cartilage that separates the nostrils (deviated septum).
• Repair a facial fracture, such as a broken nose.
• Restore breathing function after cancer treatments, traumatic injuries or burns.

Rhinoplasty reshapes your nose. The procedure can:

• Correct a nose that looks bulbous, upturned, hooked or droopy.
• Fix nostrils that are too wide, too large or turn upward.
• Get rid of noticeable dips or bumps on the bridge of the nose.
• Make a nose smaller or bigger to create facial balance.
• Open blocked nasal passages.

Rhinoplasty types include:

• Cosmetic rhinoplasty improves the appearance of the nose and face.
• Functional rhinoplasty restores nasal form and function after cancer treatments or traumatic injuries. This type of reconstructive surgery also corrects birth defects and deviated septums.
• Nonsurgical injection rhinoplasty uses dermal fillers or botulinum toxin  injections to temporarily fill a dip in the nose, lift a droopy nasal tip or correct a small bump.

 It’s the most popular cosmetic surgery among men and the fourth most common cosmetic surgery overall.

To be considered for rhinoplasty, you should:

• Be finished growing and in good physical health.
• Not smoke.
• Understand the limitations of nose surgery (it can’t give you the perfect appearance).
• Want the procedure for your own reasons, not because someone else thinks you’d look better.

Rhinoplasty is typically an outpatient procedure, which means you go home the same day. Someone needs to drive you home and stay with you overnight. You may receive general anesthesia (you’ll be asleep). Or you might have local anesthesia (the nose is numbed) and intravenous sedation (you’re relaxed, but not quite asleep). The procedure may take place at a hospital or outpatient medical facility.

During the procedure, your surgeon:

• Makes an incision inside the nostrils (closed rhinoplasty). You may also have an incision across the base of the nose (open rhinoplasty).
• Raises the skin covering the nasal bones and cartilage.
• Reduces, adds to or rearranges the underlying bone and cartilage to create a new shape or fix a deviated septum.
• Replaces the skin covering the nasal bones and cartilage.
• Uses small dissolvable stitches to secure the skin in place.

All surgical procedures, including rhinoplasty, carry some degree of risk. Potential complications after rhinoplasty include:

• Hole in the nasal septum (nasal septal perforation).
• Infections.
• Nosebleeds.
• Poor wound healing or scarring.
• Skin discoloration.
• Unsatisfactory appearance.

You should notice a difference in appearance about a week after surgery when the splint comes off. It can take up to a year for your nose to fully settle into its new shape. During this time, some facial swelling is normal. Most people who have functional rhinoplasty to fix a deviated septum or other medical problem see improvements within six weeks. About 15% of people need a follow-up (revision) surgery to make small changes after the initial surgery.