Your nose greets you every time you look in the mirror. It is a feature on your face of which you are intimately familiar. And if you happen to be dissatisfied with the appearance of your nose, then you are continually thinking about how you would prefer your nose to appear.
The plastic surgery procedure known as rhinoplasty aids people in attaining nose shapes that please them better. It is a very commonly performed plastic surgery. According to survey data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 307,000 nose reshaping surgeries were done in 2006. This made rhinoplasty the second most performed plastic surgery that year.
Your decision to seek rhinoplasty should not be made lightly. Rhinoplasty can potentially greatly enhance your happiness with your appearance, but you also need to consider how comfortable you would be with changing your appearance. Think about how you might react to possessing a different nose. Just because you do not love the nose you have, does not automatically mean you would be happy with a new nose.
Aside from cosmetic reasons, you also may have breathing problems that are motivating you to have rhinoplasty surgery. Rhinoplasty can serve a reconstructive purpose as well. The cartilage of the air passages can be adjusted to alleviate breathing problems. This reconstructive work can also be done with cosmetic changes.
As you think about rhinoplasty, many questions easily arise. Use the responses to the following frequently asked questions about rhinoplasty to inform yourself as you make your decision about pursuing plastic surgery.
Who Gets Rhinoplasty?
The desire to reshape the nose is not limited to a gender or ethnic group or age group. Young people and older people undergo rhinoplasty both for cosmetic purposes and to relieve breathing problems and correct birth defects and injuries. All ethnic groups, including Caucasian, Asian, African American, and Hispanics pursue nose reshaping surgery. Additionally, although most plastic surgery is performed on women, men also seek rhinoplasty. Right now, it is the number one plastic surgery for men.
How Is Rhinoplasty Done?
With either local or general anesthesia, depending on the needs of your surgery, your rhinoplasty procedure will begin with incisions inside the nostrils and at the base of the nose. Once the nose is opened, your plastic surgeon can sculpt the bone and cartilage within your nose to create the new shape. With various surgical techniques, nose humps can be removed, bridges narrowed, and the angle between nose and upper lip can be altered. After the structure of the nose has been completed, the skin is replaced and stitched, and then a splint of tape and plastic is placed on your nose to help it hold its new shape while it heals.
What Is Recovery From Rhinoplasty Like?
As with most surgeries, your first one or two days after surgery will have the most discomfort. Initially, your face will feel puffy and you may have a headache. Pain medication is usually appropriate at this point, if desired. On the first day, you will need to stay in bed with your head elevated.
Beyond the first two days, you should be feeling better and definitely out of bed. Bruising, swelling, light bleeding, and stuffiness are typical but alleviated by cold compresses. Returning to sedentary jobs after one week is typical, but you will need a few weeks to resume your normal activities. Recovery is a gradual process. The most notable inconvenience for recovery occurs if you wear glasses. Your glasses will need to be taped to your forehead so they do not put pressure on your nose for several weeks. Contact lenses, however, can be worn as soon as you feel like wearing them.
Will People Treat Me Differently?
The short answer is no. Plastic surgery should not be about hoping to alter how other people regard you. Your rhinoplasty should be about pleasing yourself and enhancing your appearance according to your desire. Consider that, even though celebrities often reshape their noses, they were celebrities before rhinoplasty. It is not a realistic expectation for you to hope that people will treat you differently after a plastic surgery.
How Will I Pay For Rhinoplasty?
Options are available for you to pay for rhinoplasty. If you have a breathing problem and your rhinoplasty procedure would include reconstructive benefits, then check with your health insurance. Your policy may pay for all or part of the rhinoplasty if it is medically necessary. Your next option is to pay for the rhinoplasty yourself, which many people do. Finally, many plastic surgery centers offer financing plans that allow many patients to pay for rhinoplasty with installments.
As you continue to consider rhinoplasty be aware that it is not a fad. Modern plastic surgery has been developing for decades. And rhinoplasty itself is actually an ancient procedure. Nose reshaping was developed by Sushruta in India around 500 B.C.
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