Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to correct or change the external appearance of the human nose. The operation is performed at the request of the patient or, for example, after an illness or injury that resulted in an undesirable appearance of the nose. Rhinoplasty can therefore fall within the scope of cosmetic surgery, but does not necessarily have to.
What is rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to correct or change the external appearance of the human nose. Under the term of nose correction, in technical language called rhinoplasty, experts understand a surgical procedure to correct or change the appearance of a human nose. With its help, congenital malformations or abnormalities such as a humped nose can be corrected. Likewise, deformities or disfigurements caused by accidents or diseases can be corrected with the help of a nose correction, if possible. Smaller corrections, for example of the nostrils or the tip of the nose, are also possible – such procedures then fall into the area of cosmetic surgery. Modern rhinoplasty can be traced back to Jacques Joseph, who tried out his methods on soldiers during the First World War. Nowadays, different procedures exist to perform rhinoplasty, all of which are similar in that they aim to leave as few visible traces as possible and thus not affect the patient’s external appearance after the operation has been performed.
Function, effect and goals
Rhinoplasty is performed when the appearance of the nose deviates greatly from the norm and thus affects the patient’s daily life. This may be the case, for example, when the nose has been deformed due to an injury or serious illness. Congenital deformities or abnormalities can also lead to the affected person being exposed to a strong psychological burden in everyday life. With the help of a rhinoplasty, not only the appearance of the patient changes, but often an increase in self-confidence is achieved. The exact procedure of rhinoplasty is decided by the type of change that the nose shows. Many abnormalities such as humped or saddle noses can be eliminated by endonasal means. All necessary incisions are made inside the nose – there is no visually visible scarring with this method, which is very comfortable for the patient. Nose reductions can also be performed in this way. If larger or more complicated procedures are required, such as a nose reshaping, an endonasal procedure is not possible. In this case, the skin of the tip and wings of the nose must be lifted so that the surgeon can reach the area in question to a sufficient extent. For this purpose, a small incision is made between the upper lip and the nasal bridge, which later leaves a small visible scar. In the case of a nose reshaping, the patient’s own cartilage is taken from the ear or ribs, for example, in order to form a nose that is as natural as possible. Rhinoplasty can be performed on an inpatient or outpatient basis, depending on the severity of the procedure and the patient’s health. Afterwards, a special nose bandage must be worn for a period of about two weeks. The healing phase is about two weeks. During this time, the patient is only able to bear weight and socialize to a limited extent.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Every operation, including rhinoplasty, involves certain risks, which must be considered and discussed with the patient before the procedure. The patient’s state of health must be comprehensively examined, as well as the medical history. In this way, unnecessary complications, such as those caused by anesthesia, can be avoided. Immediately after the procedure, there is swelling, bruising and pain in the nasal area. In some cases, these can be accompanied by sensory disturbances in the face. Normally, however, these complaints subside after a few days. Long-term studies have shown that it is not uncommon for unpredictable undesirable changes to the nose to occur in the long term after rhinoplasty, which can make a second operation necessary. According to statistics, up to 40% of all corrected noses are affected by such a change. If excessive scarring occurs inside the nose, bumps and/or swellings may appear in the affected area, which are visible from the outside.According to experts, the best results of rhinoplasty take place in people of young age (up to about 30 years).
