Rhinoplasty

What is the best age for a nose job?

Nose reshaping or rhinoplasty is not recommended for individuals whose physiological development is not complete – children and teenagers fall into this category.

How many trips do I need to take abroad to complete the procedure? 

You will need 1 trip abroad to complete the whole procedure, and follow up with your local doctor. 

How long should you stay in the hospital after the surgery? 

You may spend one night in the hospital after the procedure to monitor your status. 

How long is the surgery? 

The procedure normally takes 1 to 4 hours.

How many days should I travel/stay abroad to do the surgery? 

A minimum stay of 5 days

What you should avoid before the surgery? 

The patient should avoid any intake of vitamins, herbal teas, and aspirin for at least 10 days before the procedure. Drinking, eating, and smoking are prohibited for at least 8 hours before nose surgery.

How is rhinoplasty surgery performed? 

Local or general anesthesia is administered to the patient before the nose surgery can begin. Rhinoplasty is a very safe procedure – rhinoplasty complications are rare, with 1,56% to 2,73% of patients requiring reoperations, according to a study by Paulo Fernando Tormin Borges Crosara and his team in 2016.

Once the anesthesia sets in, the surgeon proceeds to separate the nasal skin from the rest of the nasal structure. 

In closed rhinoplasty surgery, the surgeon will use the nostrils as entry points to correct the underlying nasal structures consisting of bone and cartilage. 

In an open rhinoplasty procedure, the surgeon will cut the columella and then proceed to make the necessary changes. Once the nasal structure is changed according to the patient’s wishes, the surgeon will suture the incisions and apply a stent to further stabilize the nose surgery result. The area is then wrapped in bandages and the rhinoplasty recovery period can begin. 

The Recovery Timeline 

The rhinoplasty recovery period is not restrictive at all, but there are certain things that the patient needs to keep in mind after the procedure. Patients can usually return to work and normal activities in about a week but contact sports should be avoided for a few months.

Rhinoplasty post-op tips also include wearing the nasal splint or rhinoplasty cast for a few weeks after the procedure, especially at night. Rhinoplasty healing time is up to a year in most cases, as the swelling will gradually reduce and the final nose shape will be revealed in around 11-12 months.

Does the nose job leave scars?

Rhinoplasty scars are very limited, but it depends on the type of nose surgery – an open nose surgery will require cutting the columella but if the closed rhinoplasty technique is used, scars will be practically non-existent.

Can rhinoplasty go wrong?

The patient will experience bruising, discomfort, and swelling for a few weeks after the nose surgery. Painkillers can be used during the rhinoplasty post-op period. It’s important to note that the swelling will gradually reduce during the course of a year.

A study on rhinoplasty complications by Paulo Fernando Tormin Borges Crosara reveals that between 1,56% and 2,73% of patients may experience breathing disturbances that will require reoperation after surgery.

Rhinoplasty success rate

A rhinoplasty success rates survey by Guyuron B. and Bokhari F., based on 468 nose surgery reviews sets the satisfaction rate at around 91%. Males generally tend to be less satisfied with rhinoplasty results.

What to expect after rhinoplasty?

While rhinoplasty before and after pictures may look appealing it’s worth noting that the nose will take its final shape in around 12 months after the surgery, so patience and carefully following the doctor’s instructions are the key to a successful rhinoplasty procedure.

Patients are generally more satisfied with their looks and overall life – this is one of the reasons why rhinoplasty is so popular among men and women around the world.

When can I get back to work after the surgery? 

Expect to get back to work in a week.

When can I get back to sports after the surgery? 

After 4 to 6 weeks.

Types of Rhinoplasty

Closed Rhinoplasty

Closed rhinoplasty is the most popular choice for doctors and patients alike since the incisions made by the plastic surgeon are all hidden away inside the nose, leaving the patient with no external scars. Once the necessary incisions are made, the soft tissue of the nose is lifted, leaving the doctor with access to the cartilage and bone.

Changes are then done to the nose according to the patient’s wishes. From this point onward, a closed rhinoplasty is very much similar to an open one, but a closed rhinoplasty offers certain advantages in comparison to other types, such as:

• The faster and easier recovery period for the patient once the procedure is done

• The surgery itself takes less time than other types of rhinoplasty

• Less visible scarring for the patient after the recovery period

• Less chance of swelling

• Less chance of post-op nasal irritation

Open Rhinoplasty

Patients who require extensive changes to their nose may opt for an open rhinoplasty Your plastic surgeon will decide if this is the best option for you, depending on your wishes and expectations from the procedure.

Open rhinoplasty requires an incision in the columella – the skin area between the nostrils, just underneath the nose itself.

This incision allows the doctor to lift the skin and reveal the cartilage and bone inside the nasal cavity, adding or removing tissue as necessary.

While some surgeons will recommend an open rhinoplasty from the start, certain doctors will only use this technique in certain cases such as revision surgery or extensive changes to the nose.

Most of the time, the best candidates for open rhinoplasty include patients with one or more of the following:

• Severe deformities in the nose caused by trauma

• Structural or genetic deformities of the nose

• Dissatisfaction with previous nose surgery procedures

• Collapsed valves from nose hump removal

Filler Rhinoplasty

Filler rhinoplasty or injection rhinoplasty is a relatively new non-surgical technique that uses injectable fillers to correct and improve the appearance of the nose.

Since it doesn’t require any incisions, this procedure can be performed by a wide range of specialists, including general plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, assistants as well as dermatologists.

The biggest disadvantage of filler rhinoplasty is the fact that the results are not permanent and patients will be required to make another visit to the doctor in a few months. Although rare, fillers can also produce scarring within the skin.

Revision Rhinoplasty

Revision rhinoplasty refers to opting for another nose job surgery after patients were dissatisfied with the results of their primary rhinoplasty or seek other changes not originally mentioned during the first rhinoplasty.

Most patients have another rhinoplasty performed for minor touch-ups such as irregularities or bums on the nose bridge while other patients may opt for this procedure due to breathing problems.

All established plastic surgeons have a revision rate – if a certain doctor doesn’t have a revision rate or has a very low one, it’s due to patients opting for another doctor for their revision. The average rhinoplasty revision rate is between 10 and 15%.

This content is written and reviewed by our content team in 2023.