One of the most popular and at the same time one of the most difficult surgeries in recent years is rhinoplasty. Its purpose is to improve the overall appearance of the face, correcting the aesthetics of the nose / or treating any medical problems related to it. This, of course, has a huge positive impact on the individual’s psychology and self-esteem.
What is rhinoplasty?
In the past, rhinoplasty was divided into functional rhinoplasty and cosmetic rhinoplasty. The first was an operation whose primary goal was to restore normal breathing and nasal function, addressing anatomical difficulties that may have been due, for example, to heredity, a previously failed rhinoplasty, or some other environmental irritant.
Cosmetic rhinoplasty, on the other hand, had as its main mission to improve the aesthetics of the nose (its external appearance) and to correct any aesthetic problems, such as hump (wide), wide nose, asymmetric, with protruding or drooping tip, crooked nose , or long nose.
Today, functional and cosmetic rhinoplasty are a single surgery and are perfectly combined with each other, giving the patient a functional and at the same time beautiful nose, either by intervening in its anatomy, or by changing its size and shape (or even by combining two).
After the rhinoplasty, the patient’s nose functions normally without problems in breathing, while its shape is perfectly harmonized with the other features of the face, chin and eyes, so that the result looks completely natural.
Who can do rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty can correct a crooked septum, the shape of a nose (eg, crooked, thick, ancient Greek, etc.), a fracture (fracture) of the nose, as well as the size and shape of the nostrils, among others, in boys over 18 years and girls over 16 years, because the nose is still formed at younger ages.
The only reason a rhinoplasty can be performed on younger people is if there is a serious functional or anatomical reason that makes it necessary (eg, crooked diaphragm, sleep apnea, speech problems due to scoliosis of the nose, etc.). It is also very important that the person who wants to have a rhinoplasty does not have a health problem that can prevent the operation.
Rhinoplasty techniques
General anesthesia is often required and there are many different methods that the surgeon can use (eg, open type, by making a small incision on the outside, at the base of the nose and closed type, with all the incisions inside the nose) , depending on the needs of the operation.
There is also the option of laser rhinoplasty, which offers faster recovery and a significant reduction in the possibility of postoperative bleeding. The latter also makes it unnecessary to use gauze (stopper) on the nose after surgery.
Finally, depending on the case, a nose with a smaller problem or minimal deformities can be treated with an injection of hyaluronic acid, without anesthesia and surgery.
Recovery from rhinoplasty
Your surgeon will guide you through what to do both before and after surgery, such as avoiding aspirin before surgery, taking vitamins, washing with saline, avoiding certain activities, and more.
Usually, a special splint is placed outside the nose after the end of the surgery to maintain its new shape. This splint comes out around the 6th to the 8th day, while the patient can see obvious results of the rhinoplasty after 4-6 months, after the slight bruising and swelling (swelling) subside. Inside the nose, gauze with special tubes is placed in the nostrils so that the patient can breathe, until they are removed 2-3 days after surgery.
In general, recovery after rhinoplasty is short and painless, especially in younger people, as their body does the necessary ossification and regeneration procedures of the nasal cartilage and bones, as well as injuries, much faster than in a person. older. As for the sutures, they are removed about 10 days after the operation.
Complications of rhinoplasty
Serious complications after rhinoplasty have rarely been reported, as long as the surgeon is experienced and, of course, well versed in the complex anatomy of the nose.