The human nose is intricately designed, comprised of many tiny parts, including bone, cartilage, nerves, tissues, and much more. Performing rhinoplasty is very complicated and must be done with great skill and care in order to be successful.
Every single rhinoplasty procedure must be expertly planned to achieve the desired results for each patient. When you consult with your facial plastic surgeon, your rhinoplasty will begin to take shape in a unique way, just for you. As you get started, you will discuss the different types of rhinoplasty surgery and how they can help you get the look you want.
Open or Closed?
Rhinoplasty surgeries of all types will begin in one of two ways: as a closed rhinoplasty or as an open rhinoplasty. During an open rhinoplasty, also called an external rhinoplasty, a single incision is placed beneath the nose on the underside between the nostrils. During a closed, or endonasal, rhinoplasty, the incisions are made only inside the nostrils. The closed procedure leaves behind no visible scars, but the open approach may leave a faint, unnoticeable scar on the underside of the nose.
These two approaches offer the facial plastic surgeon access to the nose in different ways, allowing him or her to customize the surgery for the patient every time. The type of surgery chosen by your facial plastic surgeon will largely depend on where the changes need to be made and what kind of changes will be made. Discuss these factors with your facial plastic surgeon to get a better idea about what you can expect from your own rhinoplasty.
Reduction or Augmentation?
Reduction rhinoplasty and augmentation rhinoplasty are the terms used to indicate a nasal surgery that is performed to make the nose smaller or larger in some way, respectively. Nose size ranks among the top complaints heard by rhinoplasty surgeons, as patients are unsatisfied with noses that seem either too big or too small in proportion to the face. Resizing the nose with one of these techniques can achieve dramatic, positive results for the right patient, as it may provide balance to their features. A patient’s profile can be changed drastically for the better as well. If resizing is used to change the nostrils, it may even improve airflow through the nose.
Resizing procedures can involve the whole nose or just a part of it to be made smaller or bigger. A reduction rhinoplasty is performed through the removal or rearranging of cartilage and bones from the nose. Your skin will be left alone, since it will slowly shrink back down to the new size of your nose. An augmentation rhinoplasty works in just the opposite way, by adding to the size with materials. Your facial plastic surgeon may use bone grafts collected from the hip or the rib cage. Cartilage can be added to the nose from the ear, if necessary. The skin will then be stretched over the nose, where it will adjust to the new size on its own.
Options to Correct Your Nasal Tip
Many patients share a common worry: the tips of their noses are off. Either they tilt down instead of up, they are too pointy instead of round, or any number of other complaints about the actual shape of the nasal tip. Anytime you are looking to change the size, shape, and/or the direction of the nasal tip, you’re consulting with a facial plastic surgeon for a refinement rhinoplasty.
Refining the tip of the nose is a delicate art that involves planning, discussion, experience, and skill. Your facial plastic surgeon is most likely to use the open rhinoplasty technique to gain the most direct access to your nasal tip. This technique allows him or her to pull back the skin from the nose and concentrate on this area. Again, your surgeon will have a couple of choices to make about how to make the changes you want: adding or removing cartilage from the tip. Once the right amount is in place, he or she can manipulate it into the shape you want.
Schedule Your Rhinoplasty Consultation to Choose the Right Type for You
Start your journey toward a better nose by scheduling a meeting with a facial plastic surgeon who has extensive knowledge, experience, and outstanding qualifications on the matter. To learn more about your rhinoplasty options contact Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Specialists. A facial plastic surgeon such as Dr. Ran Y. Rubinstein can provide further guidance. You can contact us by email or call 845-863-1772. Dr. Rubinstein’s practice, Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Specialists, has two locations in New York, one in Newburgh and one in Manhattan.
Dr. Rubinstein has been practicing in the Hudson Valley for more than 15 years and specializes in esthetic laser producers, facial plastic surgery, nasal, and sinus disorders. He combines his medical and surgical expertise to help patients feel and look better. He holds dual board certification from the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, is a member of the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery, and is an Assistant Professor at New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
