As in any surgical procedure you seek out, I advise you to choose a surgeon in your area who is experienced, provides good postoperative results, takes excellent care of their patients, and has a good professional reputation.  Patients requesting rhinoplasty surgery often suffer from nasal obstruction and/or chronic sinus issues.  As a board certified facial plastic surgeon and otolaryngologist, I always address these issues with my patients.  CT scanning of the sinuses may reveal if there are any other problems present.  If recommended, sinus surgery and nasal airway relief procedures can be performed at the same time as rhinoplasty.  This is a significant advantage in choosing a surgeon who is both an otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon in performing your surgery.

Many patients who seek rhinoplasty surgery are primarily concerned about their profile.  The prominent features of a profile are the forehead, nose, and chin.  Some patients have a large nose combined with a small chin, which visually accentuates the size of the nose.  In these select patients, the combination of rhinoplasty and chin augmentation can restore a more natural balance of the face and profile.  Digital photograph simulation during office consultation is a very effective way to show you the potential results.

A visible nasal hump best seen on profile view is called a dorsal hump.  If it is small and you have a depression in the upper portion of your dorsum (called the radix), sometimes an injectable filler could improve your profile temporarily.  The fillers I use last approximately one year, but I very rarely use them for nasal contouring.  This would be only a temporary fix.  Surgery is the standard of care for correction of a dorsal hump.

Most rhinoplasty procedures are to make the nose smaller, but sometimes, patients have insufficient nasal projection of either the nasal tip or the nasal dorsum.  Depending on your nasal characteristics, the nose can be augmented or enlarged using your own cartilage and/or bone or using specially made implants designed for the nose.  I would certainly encourage you to come in for a consultation to explore your rhinoplasty possibilities.

Most of the bruising and swelling after rhinoplasty will subside between 2-3 weeks after surgery.  Depending on your profession, you may return to work after the dressing is removed seven days postoperatively as long as there is no strenuous activity required.  However, if you want to safely avoid work without visible bruising, plan to take off work 2-3 weeks after your procedure.

Revision rhinoplasty surgery can take somewhat longer to heal than primary rhinoplasty. Most of the bruising and swelling will subside after 2-3 weeks, but a small percentage of residual swelling will persist for several months. It may take up to a year for the subtle swelling to fully subside.

Rhinoplasty surgery is recommended once the nose has reached maturity. I usually recommend waiting until the junior or senior year of high school to consider rhinoplasty procedure.

Yes, that could be done at the same time, depending on the size of the mole and the goals of your rhinoplasty surgery. A thorough preoperative physical examination will confirm whether this would be possible.

Surgery is the only means to provide you a significant long-lasting change to your nose. I consider the term non-surgical rhinoplasty a bit misleading. Minor adjustments can be made non-surgically with the use of injectables, but I would not call this a rhinoplasty. Swelling does occur in a small amount after injection, but it is very minor and lasts only a few days.

Posted by William E. O'Mara Jr., M.D.

If your nose is significantly crooked, you will definitely require surgery. I consider injectables in the nose to be useful for minor contour adjustments but do not view this intervention to be classified a rhinoplasty.

Posted by William E. O'Mara Jr., M.D.