What You Should Nose About Correcting That Bump

What You Should Nose about Correcting that Bump

Nose surgery, or rhinoplasty, is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures in the United States. The young and the old, from teenagers to senior citizens, undertake the procedure.

Rhinoplasty can be used to make the nose more attractive in a variety of ways. For example, nose surgery can be used to increase or decrease the size of a person's nose. Or, it can change the shape of just the tip or the bridge of the nose. In addition, nose surgery can be used to narrow the space between the nostrils or to change the angle between the nose and the upper lip. Nose surgery can also be used to remove bumps or to make the nose smoother or straighter.

For those with a birth defect or who have suffered an injury to the nose, rhinoplasty can improve the appearance or even help alleviate breathing problems. Individuals with a deviated septum, for example, sometimes undergo nose surgery in order to improve their ability to breathe. In addition, individuals who have broken their noses sometimes require rhinoplasty to set their noses back to being straight or looking like they did prior to the accident.

Who Should Consider Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is a common cosmetic surgical procedure. It can help someone who is unhappy with the size or shape of his or her nose feel better about his or her appearance. It can even boost a person's confidence, particularly for someone who feels self-conscious about his or her nose. It is important, however, for a potential rhinoplasty candidate to realize that surgery will not necessarily make the nose meet his or her ideal. In addition, a nose surgery will not cause other people to be nicer or more respectful. A person considering rhinoplasty needs to carefully and realistically think through his or her expectations of the surgery.

Those who are looking for improvement rather than perfection are the ideal candidates for rhinoplasty. Those who have breathing problems or who wish to have birth defects corrected also make good candidates for the surgery. Physical health is also of importance, as is psychological stability.

Many surgeons also place an emphasis on the age of candidates. For example, many prefer to not perform rhinoplasty on teenagers until after they have completed their growth spurt. This is usually at around 14 or 15 for girls and later for boys. When considering rhinoplasty on a teenager, the surgeon also must take into account the emotional and social adjustment of the teenager and be sure the surgery is being performed for the child, not for the sake of the parents.

Risks of Rhinoplasty

There are risks with any type of surgery. Patients with certain medical conditions are of particular risk when undergoing any surgical procedure. These conditions include circulatory problems, heart conditions, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Other potential complications are specific to the rhinoplasty procedure. Though infrequent and minor, potential patients need to take these complications into consideration before deciding to move forward with the procedure. For example, it is possible for infection to set in and for nosebleeds to occur. In addition, some patients have a negative reaction to anesthesia. All risks can be reduced if the patient is careful to follow the surgeons' directions both before and after the surgery.

Following surgery, some patients experience small burst blood vessels, which look like tine red spots on the surface of the skin. These spots are usually minor, but it is possible for them to be permanent. The amount of potential scarring resulting from rhinoplasty depends on what is being done to the nose. The specific work done determines the type of procedure used.

Some procedures can be performed inside the nose. With these procedures, the patient has no visible scarring. Narrowing flared nostrils, however, requires an open technique. This means small scars may develop on the base of the nose, though these scars usually are not visible.

In about 10% of cases, the patient requires an additional procedure to be completed in order to obtain the desired results. For example, a minor deformity may require more than one surgery. Or, the initial surgery may not have been entirely successful. This happens with even the best surgeons and generally requires only minor corrective surgery to fix the mistake.