If you are self conscious about the appearance of your nose, you may have thought about a rhinoplasty.   The most common complaint we hear is that there is a hump on the top of their nose that people want taken down, or that their nose looks too big. The tip may be too prominent or round, sometimes called a bulbous tip.  The nose may also look too wide for the person’s face.  Sometimes people want to have more self confidence or don’t like the way they look in pictures.

One of the biggest fears many patients have is that they will look too different or not natural.  It’s important that you find a doctor who listens to your concerns and talks to you and designs an operation addressing those concerns.  As a philosophy of plastic surgery in our practice, we seek a natural look, not an extreme or operated look.  While no one can guarantee the results of a rhinoplasty, you should have a chance to have a thorough discussion with the doctor about the particulars of your situations and your goals.

Rhinoplasty, often referred to as a nose job, is actually a delicate operation designed to modify the shape of the nose.  Even small changes can have a significant impact on appearance.  Rhinoplasty can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the shape of the tip or the bridge or change the angle between your nose and your upper lip.  It may also improve a birth defect or injury, or be combined with surgery to help relieve some breathing problems.  You can see “before” and “after” pictures of some of our patients who had rhinoplasty (nose job) procedures.  Click on the right hand side of this page where it says “Click here to see before and After photos”.

The best candidates for rhinoplasty are people who are looking for improvement in the way they look.  If there are also problems with breathing through your nose, these can often be addressed at the same time.  If you are medically healthy and realistic in your expectations, you may be a good candidate.

Rhinoplasty, or surgery to reshape the nose, is one of the most common of all plastic surgery procedures.  The operation can be done as a closed or endonasal rhinoplasty, or as an open tip rhinoplasty, depending on the person’s needs and circumstances.  Your doctor should be able to offer either of these types of surgery depending on your situation. This is an operation where the surgeon’s experience and a willingness to take one’s time can make a big difference in how it looks later.

During your  initial consultation at Plastic Surgery Professionals, we will sit down with you and ask what you would like your nose to look like, evaluate the structure of your nose and face, and discuss the possibilities with you.  While we cannot guarantee a particular look, we always try to align our surgical goals with your personal goals.

Rhinoplasty surgery usually is performed on an outpatient basis. Side effects are usually temporary and may include bruising, swelling, and discomfort among others.  All surgery involves some risks and these are also explained during your consultation.

Most patients are able to return to work or school in about a week or two.

Call Dr. Kanter today at 410-715-9205 to request your personal consultation or click here to send a request by email!

How Rhinoplasty is Performed:

	The shape and appearance of the nose is determined by the underlying bone and cartilage framework. This sequence of drawings shows how the nose is often reshaped in rhinoplasty surgery. People may be bothered by an unwanted hump of the dorsum of the nose, excess wideness, a bulbous or excessively round quality to the nasal tip and sometimes by excessive length seen on side view.
	In Rhinoplasty surgery, these cartilages are often sculpted and reduced. This drawing shows how excess cartilage, shown in green, is removed to reduce a dorsal hump and refine the nasal tip. With modern techniques, we can also add additional cartilage in certain areas which may need to be enhanced or restored.
	This drawing diagrams how excess wideness in the mid and upper part of the nose can be improved by a osteotomies, which allow us to move the nasal bones in to the desired degree to try to help obtain 3-dimensional harmony to the dorsum (top,center area) of the nose.
	When the nose is too long, the septum can be shortened, or the cartilage in the tip can be modified or secured to the septum to give a shorter look as shown in this drawing. This change is best seen on side view, as shown in this drawing.
	A splint is usually kept in place on the nose for about a week as the structures start to heal. A night splint may be recommended for an additional week or so, along with specific exercises to help nasal bones to mend in place.
	With time, the swelling goes down and the shape of the nose takes on the new form of the more sculpted cartilage.
	At Plastic Surgery Professionals, your goals and concerns guide our surgical plan. Each operation is customized with your goals and preferences in mind.  Call us at 410-715-9205 for your personal consultation.