Rhinoplasty (Cosmetic Nose Surgery)

Cosmetic nose surgery (rhinoplasty) means reshaping the nose to improve its appearance.

The nose is the most important element that determines the aesthetics of the face. Nose surgery makes up the most important group of operations in aesthetic surgery and is called rhinoplasty in medical terms. Rhinoplasty is performed to give the nose a new shape. The tip of the nose can be raised or lowered, narrowed and refined or, conversely, made fuller; deviations to the right or left can be corrected; a sunken bridge can be built up; a hump can be reduced; large nostrils can be made smaller; and asymmetry can be corrected. In addition to problems with the shape of the nose, if there is a deviation of the inner cartilage and bone called a deviated septum, with related difficulty breathing, septum surgery is performed together with rhinoplasty to make breathing easier. Ideal rhinoplasty should give the nose a natural shape in harmony with the face while also making breathing easier. This is also very important for health.

Rhinoplasty takes about 2 hours on average. Because general anesthesia is preferred, the patient feels nothing. The patient stays in the hospital for 1 night for pain control and monitoring.

For nasal packing in nose surgery, we now use soft, small splints with a tunnel in the middle (allowing airflow). We remove these splints within a few days. The complete inability to breathe and the pain during removal associated with the old gauze packing are not seen with silicone splints. We use ready-made nasal casts, which we also remove after 1 week.

In most patients, bruising decreases considerably during this period. Another week is spent with a thin bandage placed over the nose. On average, patients return to normal life 7–10 days after nose surgery. They can exercise, shower and go back to work. After about 1 month, it becomes impossible to tell that the person has had rhinoplasty. It takes 6 months to 1 year for the nose to fully settle. During this time, slight unnoticeable swelling, a slightly upturned tip, and reduced sensation or firmness in some areas of the nose may occur. These also go away completely by the end of the first year.

In the past, we used bone breakers, chisels and rasps to shape the nose in rhinoplasty. This caused significant bruising, swelling and postoperative pain. Now, with ultrasonic piezo technology and micro-burrs, the bones are shaped without being broken, so we see minimal bruising, swelling and pain.

People considering rhinoplasty should first clearly identify what their problems are. In addition, the specialist and the patient should decide together on the result they want. The patient’s expectations and the realism of their wishes should match what the doctor can provide. Doctors should strike a balance between the desired results and the changes that are actually possible.

A good rhinoplasty result can only be achieved with good planning. The likely outcome of a well-planned and well-analyzed nose will make both the doctor and the patient happy. In my view, the more natural the result and the more fully the nose has been freed of its problems, the more successful it is. The general approach is not to sacrifice naturalness while making the nose more beautiful. The main goal of rhinoplasty is to create a nose that breathes well and has a natural look that suits the face of the woman or man, ideally without anyone being able to tell they had surgery, while being in harmony with the other features of the face. The operation should be completely personalized.