The nose surgery can play an important role in your life. Hence, it is necessary to gain enough knowledge in order to have a successful nose job. In this article, it is tried to outline all the steps of rhinoplasty that you should take from the moment of decision making to surgery day.
Making decision for the rhinoplasty
Making decision for the rhinoplasty should be started with understanding of your expectation from the nose surgery.
Consultation with an experienced surgeon is the first step in understanding the process of rhinoplasty. This can help you to evaluate your nose better and talk to your doctor about exactly what to expect from the rhinoplasty.
Who is suitable for the rhinoplasty?
- People dissatisfied with their nose
- People feeling that their nose changes as they age, and they are dissatisfied with these changes
- People whose a part of nose is deformed and want to modify it
- People in age appropriate for the surgery. Although the rhinoplasty is more popular among youth and teens, the teenagers should wait to 17 or 18 so that their nasal growth and changes are completed.
- People with enough information about the rhinoplasty and they know pre-operation steps and instructions preparing themselves for it. For example, the employees and workers must recess for at least one week.
- People aware of their diseases or allergies and making their doctor aware of. This causes reduced risk of reaction to anesthetic drugs.
Get more info: Rhinoplasty for People with Allergies.
For whom the rhinoplasty is not recommended?
- Those who do not have realistic expectations
- Those whose skin or cartilage of the nose is very weak and not structurally perfect
- Those who are compelled by others to do nasal surgery.
- Those whose age is not suitable for the nose surgery (the rhinoplasty is best done between the ages of 18 and 40)
- Those looking for a perfect nose
- Those with body dysmorphic disorder (a psychiatric disorder that the individual regularly fusses his body organs) or any other mental disorder
- Those who want to make their nose look like an actor/actress or other person
- Those who are in a critical stage of life (for example, the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship)
Get more info: Under Which Circumstances Should Not the Rhinoplasty Be Done?
Choosing the surgeon, one of the most important steps of rhinoplasty
Find a trustworthy surgeon
Choosing a reliable surgeon is one of the most significant steps of rhinoplasty to achieve the satisfactory result.
Since the rhinoplasty is categorized among the most challenging cosmetic surgeries, finding an experienced nose surgeon with significant number of nasal surgeries and a work resume full of desirable and consistent results is the least that any patient needs to do. There are many surgeons having these conditions, in contrast, there are many surgeons who do not have these characteristics. Therefore, it is required to perform accurate and efficient researches in this field.
The items which must be considered when choosing the surgeon are as follows:
- Valid medical license
- Medical education, knowledge, and qualifications
- Experience in doing the rhinoplasty
- The quality of counseling and the amount of affability
Once you find an eligible surgeon in your area, you need to take turns to visit and consult in person at her/his office.
Your first consultation
At a counseling session, you will find the opportunity to talk about your goals of cosmetic surgery. Your surgeon will consider you as a candidate for nasal surgeries determining what changes can be created during the rhinoplasty for you as well as explaining other steps of rhinoplasty . When your surgeon realizes your goals and conditions, s/he may suggest you the alternative and/or additional treatments (read: the surgeries simultaneous with the rhinoplasty).
At a counseling session, you should talk fully about your medical history including:
- Previous surgeries
- Previous and current diseases
- Allergies and the drugs which you take currently
Your treatment plan at the counseling session
According to your aims, physical characteristics, and your surgeon’s experience and expert, s/he will give you some suggestions and information including:
- Determining the rhinoplasty procedure involving the surgery type or combination of various methods.
- Explaining the predictable results for you.
- Financial evaluations and the costs which must be considered (more info: Rhinoplasty Costs)
- Investigating the associated risks and problems
- The options that you have for anesthesia and surgery site
- Preparation which you should perform before the surgery
- Expectation which you should have after the surgery
- Showing the before and after photos of patients like you and answering to your questions
The question which you should ask your surgeon
One of the most effective steps of rhinoplasty is the question and answer phase in the doctor’s office. At this point, almost all patients arrive at a certainty and make their final decision. The question and answer can be very useful because of:
- Making the smartest choice about your surgery
- Making sure about whether you have chosen a qualified surgeon
- Having a good understanding from the options, potential results, and risks of the surgery.
Try to get your first counseling session as effective as possible. It is very important for you to have an active role in the surgical process, so you should consider the following questions as a starting point for your first counseling.
- Am I an appropriate candidate for the rhinoplasty?
- Are my expectations of a nose surgery rational and realistic?
- Do you have photos of your patients before and after surgery so that I can find the same in my case?
- Will I have scars? And where will the scars be exactly appeared? (more info: Prevention of Scars after the Rhinoplasty)
- Which type of anesthetic do you offer for my nose surgery? (More info: Choosing an Anesthetic Type for Rhinoplasty)
- How much are the costs associated to my surgery?
- What do you expect me to achieve the best?
- How will my recovery be? When can I restart my routine activities?
- What are the risks and problems associated with my nose job?
- How can the problems be controlled?
- If my surgical outcome does not match the goals we talked about, what is the solution?
How to prepare for nose surgery?
Your doctor prepares you for nose surgery by giving you instructions before surgery, answering your questions, evaluating your medical history, and doing the necessary tests.
Your doctor may ask you to observe the following before undergoing nose surgery.
- Avoid smoking for at least 6 weeks before surgery to improve your recovery.
- Do not use aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and some herbal remedies causing more bleeding.
- Regardless of the type of surgery, hydration of your body is important before and after surgery for more safety.
The rhinoplasty is usually performed as an outpatient surgery. Hence, you must a companion to take you home and look after you at the first night. Only in some cases that complicated surgery is needed, the patient should be hospitalized about 24 hr.
surgery
Your surgery may be performed in a valid hospital, an outpatient clinic, or in your doctor’s office. Most nasal surgeries take between two to three hours, but in some cases, it may be a little more.
- Some drugs are prescribed for your comfort during the nose job.
- In most nasal surgeries, general anesthesia is used. But in some cases that nasal problems are mild and the surgery is easier, it can be carried out through local anesthesia.
- To maintain your safety during surgery, various monitors are used to check vital signs, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, etc.
- Your surgeon will implement the surgical plan s/he has talked about before.
- Once your surgery is completed, you will be taken to a recovery site where your situation is closely monitored. You will have a splint on your nose that protects your new nasal shape until recovery. Tampons may also be used to protect the internal structure of your new nose.
After surgery and after a short term care, you can be discharged and go back to your home unless you and your surgeon have another program for post-operative improvement.
