What You Should Know About Nose Job (Rhinoplasty)

Most rhinoplasties are performed because the patient desires an improvement in appearance and/or nasal function. (S)he may simply want a nose which is in harmony with the rest of the face rather than one which is out of proportion with respect to the other facial features.

Rhinoplasty surgery is as much artistic in nature as it is scientific, rarely are any two patients' noses identical. Each patient's nose should fit his or her face. Dr. Simoni recommends computer generated before and after pictures during consultations; so every patient can explain and observe desired changes prior to surgery. The alterations should be determined by many factors, including one's height, age, skin thickness, ethnic background and configuration of other features such as the forehead, eyes and chin.

All in all, Dr. Simoni believes in a natural looking nose rather than one which appears to have been operated upon. No patient really wants an assembly line nose job; they want a nose individually tailored to their own features.

Rhinoplasty is considered an outpatient procedure. It is a very delicate operation and is extre mel y different from other plastic surgery procedures such as breast implants or tummy tucks. In the hand of a good rhinoplastic surgeon, rhinoplasty carries a minimal post operative discomfort. The nose is reduced in size by removing excess bone and cartilage. The remaining structures are repositioned through a series of carefully planned internal nasal incisions.

Dr. Simoni does not recommend “packing" the nose after surgery. With the elimination of nasal packing, the pain, swelling, bleeding, discoloration, etc., are dramatically reduced making the recovery period much more pleasant for the patient. Dr. Simoni recommends a special technique of suturing the internal nasal tissues back in place to eliminate the necessity of packing.

An often-asked question by patients contemplating rhinoplasty is “do you have to break my nose?" In a new technique, a specialized surgeon makes an incision into the nasal bones when they need to be repositioned, thereby eliminating the more antiquated technique of “breaking" the bones and resetting them. Dr Simoni feels this technique allows for better control of the operation and reduces the patient's anxiety about having surgery.