After the eyes, the nose is the most dominant feature of the human face. Unfortunately, many people don’t like the nose they see every morning in the mirror. Maybe it’s out of proportion with the rest of the face, maybe it has a bump or ridge, maybe it was broken long ago and never healed correctly — regardless of the reason, Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola can perform nose surgery to give you the nose you want.
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What is Rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty is the clinical term for nose surgery; the goal is to improve the appearance and/or function. In the procedure, various techniques can be used to make an overly large nose smaller or to build up an overly small nose. The underlying cartilage and bone can be shaved or reshaped to change the outer characteristics of the nose. Flared nostrils can be addressed. The options are numerous, and you can visualize your different potential changes beforehand with our digital software.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Rhinoplasty?
Healthy men and women with concerns about the shape or size of their nose are good candidates for a nose surgery procedure, as are those who have suffered from a previously broken nose, who are unhappy with their results from a prior nose reshaping surgery, or who have a deviated septum. If the nose is strong and the chin is weak, Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola may discuss the addition of a chin implant to create better facial balance*.
What Can Nose Surgery Treat?
When it comes to nose surgery, the reasons fall into three categories:
- Appearance — The nose can really impact a person’s self-confidence. Correspondingly, changing the appearance of the nose is the most popular reason for this surgery. These are some of the issues usually addressed:
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- There is a bump or depressions on the bridge of the nose
- The tip is enlarged or bulbous
- The tip droops
- The nose is out of proportion with the rest of the face
- The nostrils are excessively flared
- The nose is crooked or off-center
- Injury — From a skateboarding fall to a car wreck to a collision in a “touch” football game, trauma can leave the nose crooked or misshapen.
- Function — Whether the problem is congenital or from trauma, nose surgery can open restricted nasal passages and improve function.
Types of Rhinoplasty Procedures?
Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola use either an open or closed surgical method, depending on the unique situation of each patient. He prefers the closed method due to its lack of a visible scar, but that method isn’t always the best option.
Open rhinoplasty — In an open nose surgery, Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola make a small incision across the columella (the small strip of skin between the nostrils). He then lifts the skin up and back from the tip of the nose to expose the bone and cartilage. Whether building up or reducing the bridge, the open method provides excellent access. Once the changes are made, the skin and tissue are re-draped over the new underlying structure. This method leaves a small scar on the columella, but it is innocuous and becomes almost invisible over time.
Closed rhinoplasty — Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola use the closed method where possible, as all of the incisions are made within the nose, eliminating any outer scarring. The closed method is effective when the size of the overall nose is being changed, and to address breathing problems. Once the incisions are made, the soft tissues are separated from the bone and cartilage. When the nose is being made thinner or smaller, the nasal bones will be fractured to allow reduction. If increasing the size, Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola can use cartilage or bone from the patient’s ears or ribs, or they can use synthetic material.
Rhinoplasty Before and After Photos
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Non-Surgical Nose Job
Patients can be resistant to having rhinoplasty because it is a permanent change. But there is a way to, in effect, demo a new nose. This can be done with dermal fillers. While they cannot make the nose smaller, they can change the nose shape by strategically adding volume. Fillers are eventually absorbed by the body, although their results can last up to a year. At that point, the patient can either schedule another filler session with Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola or go ahead with nose surgery.
Nose Surgery Recovery Process
When you return home, your nose will be splinted to support and protect it. There will also be packing in your nostrils to absorb fluids and to also provide support. You will have some significant swelling and your eyes will like blacken due to tissue trauma. Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola will prescribe pain medication, which will also help manage to swell. Over the first few days, you’ll need to keep your head elevated, even when sleeping. After around one week, your splint will be removed, but your nose and areas around your eyes will still be swollen. This will begin to improve in 10-14 days, but there will be times of swelling for a few weeks, particularly later in the day and at night. Obviously, you’ll have to avoid any activity that can bump your nose for six weeks. Overly strenuous activity will also have to wait.
When Will I See The Results From Nose Surgery?
Due to swelling, it will take around six months to fully realize your new nose, although this can vary between patients. You can’t get frustrated at periods of swelling, as this is completely normal due to the trauma that is involved with nose surgery. But when all is said and done, you’ll be pleased with your new nose and your results will last the rest of your life.
How Painful Is Recovery After Nose Surgery?
You will experience swelling, bruising, and some potential minor bleeding within your nose. What about pain? The pain is usually not much of an issue. Remember, the incisions made by Dr. D’Amico or Dr. Ferrauiola are very short, so their healing is not painful. Moving the tissues off the underlying cartilage sounds as if they would be painful, but that’s not the case.
Although not painful in the nerve sense, most patients find the subsequent congestion following their nose surgery to be a pain. You need to expect this, as your nose will be packed to protect it and to handle fluid discharge. You’ll need to breathe through your mouth while your nose is packed. But this comes out, usually 24 hours after your surgery, and you’ll feel less congested and plugged up moving forward.
How Long Does Rhinoplasty Take?
Rhinoplasty with Dr. D’Amico or Dr. Ferrauiola can take from 1.5 to 3 hours. The length of the procedure depends on the degree of changes being made to the patient’s nose.
What Type of Anesthesia Is Used for Nose Surgery?
During your consultation, we’ll discuss your options for anesthesia. These are outpatient procedures performed in our Ambulatory Surgical Center. They can be performed with the patient under local anesthesia with IV sedation or general anesthesia.
Will Rhinoplasty Impact My Breathing?
One of the risks with nose surgery is that it can impact breathing function. That’s why you only want to trust this delicate surgery to board-certified plastic surgeons such as Dr. D’Amico and Dr. Ferrauiola.
More often with our patients, we improve nasal breathing function as an added benefit to the aesthetic improvements made with this surgery. Many patients have either congenital breathing issues or problems from a former broken or displaced nose. In these cases, when we are making the cosmetic changes with patient’s nose, we can also improve issues with the septum, the wall between the two sides of the nose. This can improve airflow and breathing. It may even lessen a patient’s snoring.
What Are the Success Rates for Nose Surgery?
Nationally, rhinoplasty procedures have an 85 to 90 percent success rate. That means patients require revision nose surgery in 10-15 percent of cases. Rhinoplasty is generally considered to be the most complicated cosmetic surgery. That’s the reason you should only trust this procedure to board-certified, vastly experienced plastic surgeons such as Dr. D’Amico or Dr. Ferrauiola.
How Old Do I Need to Be to Have Nose Surgery?
While an unattractive nose can be a real confidence buster for a teenager, nose surgery can’t be performed until the nose has finished growing. For women, the nose is usually completely developed by age 15 or 16; in men it is age 17 or 18.
Can I Wear Glasses or Contact Lenses After Rhinoplasty?
You can wear contact lenses immediately after your nose surgery, but eyeglasses are a problem. While your nose is in a splint, you can wear your eyeglasses as you normally would. But once the splint is removed, you cannot place eyeglasses on the bridge of your repaired nose. You will need to tape them to your forehead for a period of at least three to four weeks.
This can be frustrating, but your nasal structures are very fragile during the early recovery. Any added pressure, force, or weight can cause damage and potentially impact your results.
How Soon After Nose Surgery Can I Exercise Again?
The problem with exercise after rhinoplasty is blood flow to the face. Working out too strenuously too soon after your surgery can lead to bleeding. In most cases, light walking is all that should be done. We clear our patients to begin gentle, not-impact exercise, such as swimming (no diving) or bicycling, in three to four weeks. Running and impact exercise needs to wait. You really need to be patient here, as you can create problems with your healing if you rush things.
After about six weeks, your nose structures should be healed, and you can return to most exercise routines. Contact sports may need to wait even a couple weeks more. Ask us about this if you participate in sports such as hockey or basketball.
Schedule a Consultation Today!
The first step in achieving your cosmetic goals is to request a consultation with Dr. D’Amico & Dr. Ferrauiola, serving the New York metro area. He enjoys spending time with you one-on-one to understand your objectives and give his professional opinion about the procedures that are best for you. You will never feel pressured to choose surgery and you will even have a second consultation visit (included with your fee) to bring along family or loved ones and ask follow-up questions. The consultation fee is applied to any surgical procedure you choose. We are also happy to schedule appointments by phone by calling (201) 567-9595.
* = Results may vary
