9 facts every patient must know before Rhinoplasty

The nose is the focal point of the face and holds the highest aesthetic value in making a good face shape. Rhinoplasty, known as nose reconstruction surgery is the most sought-after cosmetic procedure to alter the inborn, inherited injured nose. Rhinoplasty is made up of 2 terms where RHINO means NOSE and PLASTY means SHAPING.

Before making headway to this surgery it is important and fun to know a few facts:

9 Facts every patient must know before checking in for Rhinoplasty

9 facts every patient must know before Rhinoplasty from Care Well Medical Centre on Vimeo.

1. Rhinoplasty is performed since the 8th century

This procedure was 1st carried out in 800 B.C. by Sushruta (Father of Indian Plastic Surgery). He performed the operation for the purpose of enhancing facial symmetry and the proportions of the nose and luckily turned out to be successful.

The operative procedure incorporates augmentation, reduction, or refinement of the human nose to provide facial harmony. Reduction Rhinoplasty usually involves the removal of a nasal hump along with re-splintering the nose to reduce the width. While Augmentation plasty can be acquired using tissue removed from another part of the patient’s body such as cartilage, muscle, or skin from the ear or rib.

In that era, synthetic substances were alternatively used (silastic, gortex) but there was a higher risk of rejection or infection. Now, these materials are replaced with implants.

With advancements, the procedure transcends to repairing impaired breathing caused by structural defects in the nose and this made it a far more popular choice for medical correction than cosmetic.

2. Revision Surgery is not out of ordinary

Undergoing a Primary Rhinoplasty (going 1st time for nasal surgery) for cosmetic, medical, or a combination of both is an individual decision. Going for Secondary Rhinoplasty Surgery in Delhi for fixing the reshaping of a nose that was operated on previously by a different surgeon can be due to a doctor’s shortcomings.

Revision Rhinoplasty is for further alterations/augmentation or reduction in a previously operated nose by the same surgeon. It needs immense analytical and surgical skill to perform revision and only surgeons with capacious training and significant Rhinoplasty experience can restore breathing function and enhance less-than-pleasing outcomes from an earlier nose job.

Although you are opinionated to wait until a year before discerning if you are delighted with the outcomes of your Rhinoplasty, undergoing a revision operation is common. This is due to the reason that the ability of the nose to heal is unforeseeable, and various other factors can affect the final results of the healing process and the appearance of your nose.

Surgical outcomes of Rhinoplasty during the healing process are not affected by one but many factors including skin & cartilage thickness to modification in the bone build-up and patient’s health. So, do not be hasty in establishing the fixation you hoped for.

3. Do not freak out seeing swelling & bruising

Honest surgeons tell their patients beforehand to take off at least a week because swelling and bruising are variable and everybody handles it differently.

You can reduce the rate of swelling and bruising if you stop aspirin, non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication, fish oil as well as homeopathic remedies such as Arnica and Montana, at least 2 weeks pre-operation and post-operation.
Take the splint off after a week, and wait for about 10 days to return to work and you are good to go with your new nose in the making.

We advise not to wear glasses for the first 3-4 weeks for a speedy recovery; contacts are fine after 2-3 days.

4. Rushing for results only twitches

First thing is that no cosmetic procedure produces immediate results. Rhinoplasty being an extensive corrective procedure requires the patient to plan for the final result in 12- 15 months and not hurry in establishing happy/unhappy outcomes.

Most of the significant swelling is reduced in the initial 12-15 days after the operation. The rest of the residual swelling resolves in 4-6 weeks; however, it may take 12-15 months to see the remaining swelling dispel, particularly, at the tip and the nose.

5. Your Nose Never Stops Growing

Though the bone growth of the nose naturally stops at the age of 15 for girls and 17 for boys, the muscle growth never stops.
Over the due course of time, this provides the look of the nose growing when it’s actually modifying the shape because of the continuous muscle growth. The fat, muscles, and cartilage in your nose are liable to loosen more as you grow older which may affect the appearance of your nose.

This is why some people have surgery again later in life to back-pedal the natural aging shape of the nose.

6. Nose Job is not as simple as you may think it is

Rhinoplasty is one of the most intricate and challenging surgeries, even if you think your individual needs are quite simple. Your doctor has a really complicated and analytic job to do of not only ensuring your nose is in accord with your face, but that it also matches the rest of your facial features, which is absolutely essential to verify your Rhinoplasty look.

7. Not as painful as you may have assumed (NO twitch-twitch!)

The surgery is carried out with anesthesia, and the patient will feel little to NO pain. Though there will be a little amount of pain for the initial few days post-operation that will be easily dealt with pain medication. After a couple of days of recovery, many patients report discomfort to be less.

A standard nose job procedure will have the patient in surgery for about 60-90 minutes, but this will also depend on how complicated the operation is and also depends on your particular requirements.

8. Feeling congested after Rhinoplasty is completely normal

There is nothing to panic about feeling congested and swelling around the eyes and face, as well as a little amount of bleeding from the nostrils for the first few days and you may feel exhausted as well. All this is normal.

9. Rhinoplasty is Not Just a Cosmetic Procedure

Contrary to long-held belief, Rhinoplasty is not just for aesthetic purposes. The procedure is used to repair breathing difficulties with a deviated septum.

It also fixes nose jobs that have been incurred during an injury that has caused a fractured or broken nose.
You may want to undergo Rhinoplasty procedures for the ‘perfect nose’, but it’s a benediction for those struggling with a nasal deformity that induces medical issues.