Nose surgery (also called Rhinoplasty) is one of the several plastic surgeries performed on the nose of a person to fix any of the following conditions:
- A deformed nose that is caused due to an injury, accident or by birth
- A nose that doesn’t let a person breath normally
Many times, nose jobs are done for cosmetic reasons while in some cases, the nose gets out of shape due to an accident.
Before we get into the details of what happens before, during and after nose surgery, let’s understand the structure of the nose. Nose structure is divided into 3 main parts:
- The nasal bone that extends out of the skull at the very top of the nose. This doesn’t extend till the end but just an inch or so.
- After the nasal bone, there is a hard tissue, called upper lateral cartilage
- Past the upper lateral cartilage, there exists a lower lateral cartilage that extends in the tip of the nose.
Of course, skin on the nose is a part of the nose too because that’s the organ that gets the incisions.
Who opts for a nose surgery?
- Some aspiring models, actors and other celebrities opt for nose surgery purely for cosmetic reasons.
- People with congenital nose defects undergo the nose job to get it fixed.
- People who were involved in an accident or had an injury that deformed the nose or have breathing issues are right candidates for rhinoplasty surgery.
First step in nose surgery
The first step before you undergo a nose surgery is to find the best plastic surgeon in Chennai or in any city near you. Also look for the facilities available at the clinic or hospital along with the experience of the cosmetic surgeon as the outcome mostly depends on those two factors. How about the cost of nose surgery in Chennai or in any other city in India? It varies and depends on what needs to be done to your nose as per your requirements. Every nose job will be custom tailored depending on the person’s requirement. Can you believe that some people want to look like witches and undergo nose and ear surgeries?
When you consult your plastic surgeon here is what he/she does:
- Check your medical history – A series of questions regarding your habits, lifestyle and medical history will be asked where you need to be honest in answering them.
- A physical exam will follow to check the structure of your nose. If you’re having any issues with your nose like a deformity after a trauma or while breathing, more detailed examination may follow. Blood tests may be required to see if the constituents are at good levels.
- Pictures of your nose may be taken and if you are undergoing rhinoplasty for cosmetic reasons, you may be shown on a computer what you can expect (more or less) after recovering from the surgery. Pictures will be taken after your recovery so that you can look at before and after pictures of your rhinoplasty surgery.
- A discussion on what you can expect is important because no doctor can produce a 100% perfect nose. Aim will be to deliver the best shape as possible without putting you at risk or any kind of postoperative complications.
- You will be advised to stop consuming alcohol and smoking as alcohol may interact with the medications provided and smoking can hamper the recovery process.
Step two – performing the nose surgery
- You are made to lie down on the operation table and will be given local or full body anaesthesia.
- Your plastic surgeon will most of the time plan to make incisions from inside the nose rather than from the outside so that there won’t be any scar that’s visible after recovery.
- If there is excess bone to be removed, that may be trimmed off and extra cartilage will be removed to bring the nose to proper shape. When the doctor needs to add additional cartilage, a part of the ear or ribs may be taken and added on the nose.
- Incisions will be stitched up and the area will be bandaged for a week to 10 days.
- Most often a day of hospital stay may be advised by your doctor so that you can be under watch until you wake up from anaesthesia.
Step three – recovering from rhinoplasty
- Good bed rest will be advised so that you don’t move your head much.
- You can expect a little bit of bruising or swelling at the incision site and you will be asked to always keep your head above chest level so that the swelling can be reduced.
- The dressing will remain in place for around 10 days and once removed, bleeding and leaking of mucus should be expected. In order to absorb the drainage of blood or mucus, a cotton gauze may be provided.
- Should you see pus forming at the site of surgery, you should understand that the area is infected and you must report to your doctor without delay.
- Avoid shower at all times, just take a normal bath without getting the area wet, even if it means not washing your face for a week.
- If you use glasses for eyesight, you should make sure that you don’t rest them on the nose. Or you may use contacts for a month.
- Avoid strenuous activities such as running, jumping or lifting weights until recovery.
- Consume fibre rich foods so that you pass stools smoothly without the need to apply any kind of pressure. This can hurt the surgery site.
- Be careful while brushing and make sure you don’t move your brush up your upper lip.
- Prefer buttoned clothes that you don’t wear over your head. (Regular shirts kind of stuff instead of tees)
Risks associated with nose job surgery
Simple thing to remember – Pick a good plastic surgeon with great experience at a good hospital or clinic to minimise risks. Every surgery involves risk and keeping them to the minimum should be your goal, instead of thinking about the cost of nose job.
- Bleeding, infection or a reaction to anaesthesia
- Problem breathing even after the surgery and little bit of recovery
- Temporary or permanent numbness at the site
- Irregular functioning of the brain until you are completely recovered from anaesthesia.
- Scarring on the skin of the nose.
- Hole in the septum (Septum is the middle portion of the nose that separates the left and right sides).
- In extreme cases where the outcome of the surgery is nowhere close to expectations may require an additional surgery, which will put you through the pain and risks all over again. I am sure, you or no one would want that.
