Rhinoplasty is a very common plastic surgery. However, determining if it’s the right choice for you will likely require some amount of consideration and research. Think about things like why you want rhinoplasty . . . Is it for cosmetic purposes or is it a medical necessity, for example, to correct difficulty breathing? Will your insurance policy cover all, some, or none of the cost? Will your schedule allow for the required recovery time? These kinds of questions and more will generally be explored during the consultations that you’ll have with a qualified plastic surgeon well in advance of undergoing a rhinoplasty procedure.
Am I a Good Candidate for Rhinoplasty?
The only requirement to have rhinoplasty surgery is that you be in good physical health. If you dislike the appearance of your nose and would like to have it corrected, rhinoplasty is likely a good choice. However, many patients also have rhinoplasty surgery for strictly medical purposes rather than cosmetic ones, such as to correct difficulties breathing, which may be caused by a deviated septum or nasal polyps.
Regardless of your reasoning, as long as you’re able to physically withstand a surgery—cosmetic or otherwise—you’ll be able to receive rhinoplasty.
Why Do People Get Rhinoplasty? Should I?
Patients undergo rhinoplasty for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, rhinoplasty is performed for cosmetic purposes, as it can be an incredibly effective means of resizing, reshaping, and adding definition to the overall aesthetic appeal of the nose. In the event that a patient has a bulbous tip, a large bump on the bridge of the nose, or other features that he or she finds undesirable, rhinoplasty can correct these potential problems and more.
Some patients undergo rhinoplasty for medical purposes, such as to correct difficulty breathing, and this includes snoring. Common medical purposes for having rhinoplasty include a deviated septum, the removal of nasal polyps, or a turbinate reduction, which involves the removal of tissue around one or more of the three turbinate bones within the inner anatomy of the nose. These problems are generally resolved to correct breathing functionality by returning the proper flow to the airways of the nose.
Whether or not you receive rhinoplasty for cosmetic purposes is a deeply personal decision. Like any elective surgery, rhinoplasty should not be taken lightly. It should be conducted only after a series of consultations with a qualified plastic surgeon. During these consultations, you’ll have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered, receive advice from a medical professional, and perhaps even learn about non-surgical alternatives, which may be equally effective at helping you attain your aesthetic goals.
Non-Surgical “Nose Jobs”
While patients who require a large degree of modification or enhancement to the overwhelming structure of the nose will most likely require rhinoplasty, which is capable of restructuring the internal anatomy of the nose for dramatically positive results, some patients may find that their aesthetic goals allow for the use of non-surgical methods. Some of these popular non-surgical approaches to enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the nose might include the use of fillers such as Juvéderm. While these kinds of facial rejuvenation treatments are often used to smooth out wrinkles around the eyes, mouth, or other areas of the face, in many applications they are equally effective at enhancing the nose.
An Important Consideration: Recovery Time
As a final consideration for a patient thinking about undergoing cosmetic rhinoplasty, it’s important to think about the required recovery time and how it might fit into your schedule. On average, patients will be expected to avoid any kind of strenuous activity for at least 2 weeks immediately following rhinoplasty surgery and can generally expect a period of about 6 weeks before they have a full recovery.
