What is Rhinoplasty sergery?
Rhinoplasty, i.e. nasal plastic surgery, is the surgery of correcting both the functional problems (breathing difficulty through the nose) and the shape of the nose, and adjustment of the nose in accordance with the face structure of the person.
Is there an age limit for surgery?
Physiologically, bone development is completed at the age of 18. For rhinoplasty surgery, it is necessary to wait for the completion of this development. There is also no upper age limit for the surgery unless there is a health obstacle.
What kind of complaints do the patients apply with for the Rhinoplasty Surgery?
Although the patients with rhinoplasty requests have various complaints, they have the same common point. When a person looks at himself in the mirror, he does not like his nose and believes that it does not fit his face, then there is a need for surgery. That is because the plastic surgeries are the ones that increase the person’s well-being and stand on the top of his psychological welfare. Among the most common complaints that patients apply to us with there are the following:
Arched nose,
Very large or small nose,
Saggy or low nose,
Wide nose,
Excessive movement of the nose while talking or laughing.
How does the surgery process work?
- During the first consultation, we meet for acquaintance, information, examination and photo shoots. When our patient comes with the demand for aesthetic nose surgery, I evaluate both functional issues and problems related to the appearance of the nose in details. I want him to explain his distress with his own description without interrupting the patient. It is very important to understand the patient’s desire. I give the patient various forms of rhinoplasty and want him to fill them out in order to express his complaints in the best way. These forms help me understand the patient even better. Understanding the needs of the patient about the desired nose and creating individual solutions for them, in my opinion, is one of the most important stages of this surgery.
- During the second meeting, we present analysis studies based on photographs taken earlier. What are the problems? How should they be resolved? We evaluate the design before and after the researches. So, we are talking about what changes we can provide with the surgery which we are going to perform.
The patient’s decision to have the surgery is also a protracted process. So are the presurgical and postsurgical processes.
I like communicating both verbally and through photographs in order to understand the patient’s demands properly. It takes enough time for him to express himself. Sometimes he can easily explain the changes by photographs which he cannot express with words. Furthermore, we know that it is difficult to achieve the desired results during the surgery, which decision was made within short time of time and without clear understanding of the patient needs.
Is it possible to perform another procedure or surgery along with Rhinoplasty?
Of course. Nasal flesh size, mid-nose cartilage and curvature of the bone wall (septum) that exist in the nose and prevent breathing conditions are corrected during rhinoplasty by default. Nasal aesthetics can be proceeded at the same time with sinusitis surgery for the patients with headache or nasal discharge, if there is chronic sinusitis detected during the polyclinic examination and tomography. Snoring is a condition that can be associated with deformity in the nose. Some of the most important causes of snoring are nose-related problems and such problem can be resolved meanwhile.
What about jaw aesthetics?
It is also possible to proceed this surgery separately or in combination with rhinoplasty. Particularly, the nose of people with weak chin is perceived longer and drawn forward. In these cases, I explain the necessity of jaw aesthetics in order to eliminate this perception to the patient. The weak chin that transforms into the desired form is an element that increases the success of rhinoplasty.
How long does the surgery last?
Operations take approximately 2-3 hours. In some patients, the procedure may be a little shorter if only the tip of the nose is operated on. However, in revision plastic surgery (in people who have had nose surgery before) the duration of the surgery maybe a little longer due to adhesions associated with the previous surgery.
Is nose plastic surgery painful?
This surgery is performed to improve the patient’s existing well-being. Given this goal, a painful process would be contrary to the philosophy of surgery. Things that frightened the patient 10-15 years ago, such as long tampons and chisel hammer operations, no longer exist today. Likewise, the bone cutters and surgical instruments are used now make the tissues less traumatized. Along with the medications that are used in addition to them, I can say that after surgery, the pain is almost nonexistent.
What awaits the patients after the surgery? When can they go back to work or school?
After the surgery, I often visit the patient the same day and send him home the next day. Our postsurgical recommendations and communications are quite excessive.
However, if we talk about the basic recommendations, the use of ice during the first two days is important for reducing swelling and edema. The first 5 days, the head should be in a high position in order to have less swelling. During the first week we get off a splint on the back of the nose. We do not apply any tampons and stitches. After the 10th day, we see how the bruises and swellings disappear. It is extra important to protect the nose from negative conditions such as falls, bumps, and hits during the first month. It will be possible to return to school or work since the 10th day.
Are there patients living with swelling and bruising for months?
This should be evaluated based on two situations. If the changes are made within the bone structure of the patient (such as saddle removal, narrowing of the wide nose, the curvature of the nose) we expect some bruising to occur, but we also observe its regress from 7th to 10th days. The materials we use now allow us to perform surgery by protecting the tissues in better way. If we just consider the surgery on the tip of the nose, the bruise occurrence is out of question. The swelling decreases rapidly 2 days after the removal of the splint from the back of nose after the surgery and diminishes up to about 80% during the first month. Complete disappearance of swelling can take from 6 months up to a year. It is important to know that this process can sometimes last up to 2 years, especially for people with thick nasal skin.
What is Revision Nose Surgery? Is it a difficult surgery?
It is the process of the correction procedure proceeded on the patients who previously had aesthetic nose surgery but were not satisfied with the result. Considering the conditions of these patients such as having more adhesions, not having enough cartilage left in the nose, and little longer healing process, it is regarded as more difficult case than a nose which has not been operated earlier. If necessary, cartilage can be applied by removing some from the patient’s back of the ear or rib. We decide on these matters by discussing them in detail with the patient before the surgery.
What are the Most Difficult Cases of Rhinoplasty?
However, if we evaluate the physical conditions, we can count curved noses, thick-skinned noses, and revision cases, especially occurred after trauma. It can be difficult to achieve satisfactory results if there is not enough experience about this.
