nose reshaping (rhinoplasty)

Rhinoplasty Overview

Located right in the middle of the face, noses are dominant features that attract attention. When your nose doesn’t ‘fit’ your face, a rhinoplasty can be performed to reshape the nose and achieve a more attractive and proportional effect. An effective rhinoplasty will enhance the overall symmetry and harmony of your facial features, making you feel more confident in your appearance. 

Depending on your facial shape and characteristics, your surgery may involve reducing the size of the nose, changing the profile, narrowing the bridge, reshaping the tip, sliming the nostrils, or improving the symmetry of this prominent feature. 

This procedure is for you if…

• You are self-conscious about your nose
• You wish to achieve a better balance or harmony among your features
• You are realistic about what rhinoplasty will achieve
• Your facial growth is complete and you are 13 years of age or older
• You are physically healthy and you do not smoke

You can expect these results:

A rhinoplasty can offer a subtle improvement or a dramatic change, depending on the specific treatment you decide to undergo. Sometimes, a slight adjustment is all that’s needed to restore harmony to your facial features. In other instances, the change is more immediately noticeable.

Your results will be permanent, although it can take several months for post-surgical swelling to subside, and your nose may continue to “settle” into its ultimate shape for up to a year.

What happens during rhinoplasty?

During rhinoplasty, the surgeon will first make incisions to gain access to the bones and cartilage that support the nose. These incisions are usually invisible, as they’re made inside the nose. Depending on the specific results you wish to achieve, the surgeon may remove bone and cartilage to reduce the size of your nose, or they may add volume in places with synthetic filler or cartilage taken from another part of your body.

After the surgeon has reshaped the nose and smoothed the skin and tissue into place, a splint is applied to the outside of your nose, and gauze may be used to pack the inside in order to support and protect the nose while it heals.

The recovery process

Immediately after surgery, you’ll need someone to take you home and care for you during the first 24 hours. The surgical packing inside your nose will be removed within 48 hours, and the splint can be removed within a week. You will notice bruising under the eye area during the first few days. This is common and within 5-7 days the darkness will subside and you can apply cover-up to hide any remaining discoloration. 

You may be taking pain medicine during this time if your surgeon recommends it. It can take 10­­-14 days for the swelling and bruising to subside, so plan on taking at least a couple of weeks off work.

Understanding the risks

No surgery is risk-free, and rhinoplasty is no different. However, if you are in good health, this is a relatively low-risk procedure. Your risks may include:

• Temporary numbness or permanent nerve damage
• Nosebleeds
• Visible scars at the base of the nose
• Bursting of small blood vessels on the skin's surface
• Dissatisfaction with the results
• The need for additional corrective surgeries