A Rhinoplasty FAQ for You
So, you’re planning to have a nose job! This can be both an exciting and scary time for you. Having performed nose surgery in New York for many years, we know that patients can be anxious before the procedure. It’s your face, after all, and the nose is its most prominent feature.
Here are some of the top rhinoplasty questions you may not have answers to yet. We hope this rhinoplasty FAQ might be of help.
How old do I have to be to have a nose job?
It’s best to operate when your nose has stopped growing. Speaking generally, this is at about age 16 for girls and 18 for boys—give or take a year or two. A board certified plastic surgeon will be able to determine if you’re ready.
Is there any way to avoid general anesthesia?
If you should choose to have nose surgery in New York with us, we will most likely elect to use twilight sedation through an IV rather than general anesthesia. You will be completely asleep, but breathing on your own. You’ll awaken quickly and easily after surgery with no general anesthesia hangover.
Where will my incisions be?
Most patients we work with have “closed” surgery, meaning the incisions are placed inside the nostrils where scars will not be seen. If that won’t work in your case, we’ll make a small incision across the columella, or column of skin between the nostrils. Either way, there will be no trace of the knife after healing.
Can I have other facial procedures at the same time?
Yes! Unless your situation is unusual, we can perform other procedures at the same time as your nose job. Sometimes people elect a chin implant, for example, to bring their face into better balance. When we discuss rhinoplasty in our New York consulting room with you, we’ll go over the possibilities.
How much pain can I expect after surgery?
You may have a headache for a while during your initial recovery from rhinoplasty, but most people report very minor discomfort overall. We’ll make sure you have a prescription for pain medication but you may not even need to use it.
What will the packing after surgery be like?
You’ll have packing in your nostrils and a splint for just a few days after the procedure. It’s not the most pleasant aspect of a nose job, but most patients tolerate the dressings well. It helps to remember they are needed to stop any oozing and protect your nose while it heals.
I’ve heard you can’t blow your nose after surgery—is this true?
Certainly while you have dressings you won’t be able to blow your nose. And when everything comes off, you will still need to be very careful. We will give you advice about this prior to surgery, such as using saline drops to help clear out any gunk and blowing very gently at first.
Why does it take months for the results to be final?
It does indeed take a long time for every bit of swelling to dissipate, it’s true. But you will be able to notice a difference in your nose as soon as we take the splint and dressings off. You’ll look even better in another week or so, when most people feel ready to be out in public. Though it does take more time to get to the final result, the majority of change happens in the first several weeks.
Are most people happy with the outcome of their nose job?
We have so much experience in performing rhinoplasty in New York—it’s a rare patient indeed who has doubts about their results. If you check RealSelf, where people from around the globe review their nose jobs, you’ll find about 90% are happy.
How many times have you performed rhinoplasty?
We have not kept track of exactly how many New York nose jobs we’ve done. We perform dozens each year, and we’ve been operating successfully for more than three decades. So, a conservative estimate would be perhaps 1000?
Not only do we perform lots of nose surgery in New York, we enjoy it very much. It’s amazing what a difference a few millimeters can make! Contact us to talk it over.
Proposed photo: Photo by Italo Melo from Pexels
