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FAQ RHINOPLASTY
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A. What is rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty is cosmetic surgery of the nose. It is also
known as nasal refinement or simply, "nose job". With
rhinoplasty, 'defects' or asymmetries from either birth
or trauma can be corrected by "breaking" the bones of
the nose and re-setting them in the desired shape, often
narrow and straight. A "hump" may be removed to give a
more pleasing appearance and the nasal bones may be
straightened for a more symmetrical look can also be
accomplished. Rhinoplasty can soften an otherwise
beautiful face by refining one's features.
B. When can rhinoplasty be performed?
Extensive nasal surgery is generally avoided in
children. There are major growth centers in the nose
that affect the growth of the face. In cases of severe
disfigurement due to accidents, surgery is performed in
an attempt to restore the alignment of those centers.
For lesser deformities surgery is deferred until after
the child stops growing. Rhinoplasties performed on
teenagers and young adults, it seems, are often
beneficial to the social development and self confidence
of the individual. The aging process is reflected in
many ways in the nose and its correction can add
youthfulness and freshness to the appearance.
C. What does a typical Rhinoplasty consultation entail?
First, Dr Mounir will discuss your goals with you and he
will explain what can be achieved realistically. A good
doctor will not just slim your nose, shorten or lengthen
it, rather he or she will take into account what your
facial features and bone structure would benefit from.
Be it a slimmer more defined or perhaps more "turned
up". Perhaps it is only a "hump" that is desired to be
removed, making it unnecessary to even have a Full
Rhinoplasty. There is no "one size fits all" when it
comes to this procedure. It is all individual. Just like
you!
D. How is Rhinoplasty performed?
Usually, Light Sleep Anesthesia or General Anesthesia is
utilized. The patient usually arrives early and oral
medications are administered and supplemented with
intravenous medication. After you are "asleep" and your
vital signs are determined as safe and stable, local
anesthesia is then applied to the nose. Surgery
generally lasts about one and a half hours. The patient
experiences no pain during the surgery. A splint or cast
is applied and will be worn for approximately 7 days.
Many patients remember very little about the surgery.
After the procedure is completed, the patient then
recovers in a relaxed environment and monitored for a
couple of hours before being driven home by a companion.
You absolutely can not drive yourself home after a ANY
procedure.
E. What should I expect post-operatively?
After your surgery your surgeon will have placed a
pressure dressing over your eyes and a gauze pad
underneath your nose to catch blood and mucous. You will
remove the pressure dressing after a few hours or as
specified by your surgeon. You may become sick from
ingested blood during the procedure and vomit, expelling
a black mixture of stomach acid and blood. This will
pass as soon as the blood is expelled. It really isn't
that much so you shouldn't be sick for long unless you
were under general anesthesia and are sensitive to it.
If you continue to vomit and/or run a high fever,
contact your doctor immediately.
You nose will be sensitive for approximately a month and
a half although patients report no serious pain or
discomfort. However, patients do report the discomfort
of breathing with the packing and cast on the nose. Some
patients feel claustrophobic feeling as if they cannot
breathe. This feeling widely resembles a head cold or
sinus infection. Only when the cast is removed do you
feel pain again, unless you bump it accidentally.
F. When will the cast be taken off and does this hurt?
He cast is removed approximately 7 days
post-operatively. You may feel a slight stiffness in the
upper lift as the swelling "moves downward". This will
subside in a matter of hours. you must be very careful
not to bump it as it is vulnerable to breakage. It isn't
a bone china figurine but it isn't as strong as your
nose was before the rhinoplasty either. Don't worry the
bones will mend within 2 months.
If you had a rhinoplasty where the nostrils were
narrowed (in the case of flared nostrils) you will have
your sutures removed. This may sting a bit, especially
since it is in a sensitive area. although most patients
still feel numb in the tip area and report only minor
discomfort.
G. When will I be able to see the results?
The nose will be very sensitive for approximately a
month and a half. The patient will start to see a
difference immediately but it will still be swollen. The
swelling starts to generally disappear about a week
after the cast is removed. Approximately 80% of the
swelling and 100% of the discoloration are usually gone
by 2-3 weeks after surgery. 90% of the swelling is gone
by three months after surgery and the rest slowly
disappears over the next year or more. Although the nose
is still swollen after the first few months, most people
would not recognize this fact. The patient will not
notice this swelling. Instead the patient will notice
that the nose becomes more refined with better
definition over the first year. The inside of the nose
may be swollen for approximately three weeks after the
surgery. Nasal breathing may be difficult during this
time. If surgery is performed to straighten the nasal
septum, an improvement in breathing will be appreciated
at about 3 weeks.
H. What are the risks of Rhinoplasty?
It is possible to develop tiny red marks and "spots",
this can be the result of blood vessels that may have
burst under the skin's surface during the surgery.
Although this is extremely infrequent it can happen and
the "spots" may not ever go away. Scarring is minimal if
the incisions are made inside of the nose, however when
an "open" technique is used, or if narrowing of the
nostrils is desired the scars made on the outside of the
nose may be visible for am undetermined amount of time
(Usually until maturation). Even when I highly skilled
surgeon performs your surgery, sometimes your body may
not heal "correctly" or have adverse reactions causing
undesired results. If so it is quite possible that
additional surgeries may be needed. Some patients will
lose their sense of smell, temporarily. I did for a
short time, but only regained half of my sense of smell
after several months. It took about 9 months to get my
full sense of smell back. Your nose may be swollen and
for up to a year. Scar tissue may heal in a way that may
cause a "whistling" sound to be heard when you breathe
in and out.
This surgery has the highest rate of re-dos. It seems
that some people, especially older, mature persons, may
not readily accept the "new" look. Being accustomed to
their "old" nose, they just can't seem to comfortably
make the transition. Although there are a few
rhinoplasties that just don't heal correctly, due to
something as serious as human error (the surgeon's) or
as simple as not having your head elevated enough or
sleeping on one side a lot without a proper cast. The
nose can "pull" to one side if the cast does not support
it properly in the first week. Or quite simply, your
body may just heal that way.
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