“Rhinoplasty is a procedure where you really have to understand what a patient is trying to achieve – it is technical and artistic and is one of my favorite operations to do.”
Do you have a large, misshapen, bumpy, or flat nose in the middle of your face? Do you avoid the mirror or spend time trying to draw attention away from your nose?
Or maybe you were hit in the face. Your nose bled, but you never really paid attention to it. However, lately you’ve noticed just how hard it is to breathe out of your nose and your partner complains about your snoring.
Or maybe you can’t remember ever being able to breathe through your nose.
Nose reshaping or rhinoplasty in Toronto is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures today. This cosmetic procedure can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the shape of the tip or bridge, narrow the span of the nostrils, correct birth defects or injuries and can help relieve some breathing problems.
The best rhinoplasty candidates for nose reshaping are those looking for improvement in their appearance. If you’re healthy and realistic in your goals, you are a good candidate.
Whether you have suffered trauma to your nose, were born with a nasal defect, or are simply not pleased with the way your nose looks, you will never know if you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty until you see Dr. Priya Kesarwani, our board certified facial plastic surgeon. Deciding on plastic surgery should be an uplifting experience that ultimately provides you with renewed confidence. To discuss what you’d like to achieve, contact us today for your personal, in depth consultation.
Address a Wide Variety of Aesthetic Issues
Get a Nose That Fits Your Face
See Dr. Priya Kesarwani, the Surgeon Who'll Perform Your Surgery, During Your Initial Consultation
A personal consultation with Dr. P. Kesarwani is the first step toward realizing your goals in improving your facial appearance. She will take the time necessary to answer your questions and explain how this procedure can fulfill your aesthetic goals.
Rhinoplasty is largely considered a cosmetic procedure but it can also serve great medical and psychological purposes. It can be used to treat or repair medical conditions such as:
- Nasal fractures;
- Cleft lip and/or palate;
- Inflammatory conditions;
- Neoplasms (tumors);
- Septal hemotomas; and
- Many other injuries, diseases, and conditions.
Rhinoplasty Recovery
The recovery time is anywhere from 14 days to two months depending on the surgical technique used. There are two main types of rhinoplasty which each have their pros and cons.
Closed rhinoplasty means that all of the incisions are internal to the nasal tissue.
Open rhinoplasty involves an incision in the columella – the fleshy part at the end of the nose between the nostrils – and allow greater access to the internal nasal tissues. It also reduces the risk of damage to the nose by giving the surgeon better access and more freedom.
Those with narrower nostrils or flatter protrusions may experience improved results with an open surgery method while those with wider nostrils or a more prominent bridge can often use the closed method with great success.
5 Recovery Tips
Are you about to have a rhinoplasty? The good news is that a nose job is one of the least intrusive procedures available, and will heal rapidly and easily. However, it’s still a procedure that involves an incision, swelling and careful monitoring after it’s completed. Because of this, there are a few best practices to heal faster, keep your mood up, and reduce scarring:
- Protect the incision.
- Avoid anything strenuous.
- Use contact lenses.
- Steps to reduce swelling
- Take care of your physical and mental health.
You will probably feel a little down. This is actually a normal part of the body’s inflammatory response; inflamed tissue causes stress hormones that make you feel tired and even slightly sad. This is a healthy response: the body is telling you to stay inside and take care of yourself, so do just that! Rent a variety of movies and TV shows, spend time with pets, and be nice to yourself.
Once the inflammation dies down, you’ll be feeling better than ever!
Will Smoking Affect My Rhinoplasty Results?
It’s a common concern for smokers who recently underwent a nose job, and the answer likely isn’t one they want to hear, but yes, smoking does have an effect on rhinoplasty results. Smoking effects the results of all surgeries, but is particularly bad for cosmetic surgeries, and even worse for nose surgeries. Here’s why.
Nicotine messes with the body’s adrenal system, causing a release of both stimulating, concentration-enhancing hormones, like norepinephrine, and hormones that reduce anxiety and pain, like endorphins.
All these hormones sound desirable, especially when you’re recovering from surgery. But many of them are terrible for recovery. Norepinephrine constricts the blood vessels, making it harder for blood to reach the tissues. This causes damage to the skin and healing of incisions in particular. The nose is an end organ, not having multiple blood supplies , and is even more choked when you smoke.
This is a major problem when it comes to surgery. Blood flow is needed to clean out inflammation, as well as to support healing. If blood is constricted, it is more likely that protein chains will bunch up, creating ugly raised scars instead of faded flat ones. Smoking will, without fail, make your rhinoplasty scars more noticeable. But that’s not the only problem.
Nicotine Withdrawal and Rhinoplasty
Nicotine causes lasting problems, even after you quit. The daily release of norepinephrine slowly causes arteries to constrict, leading to higher lasting blood pressure and decreased healing. These effects are most severe within the first few weeks after you quit smoking.
The withdrawal of endorphins also creates increased pain and anxiety, for about a week. These make your recovery much more unpleasant. In addition, they create stress, which slows the body’s recovery process.
As a result, you want to be neither on nicotine nor in early nicotine withdrawal when you go in for surgery. For best results, you should quit smoking eight weeks before your rhinoplasty. This time will give your body a chance to loosen up the arteries, bring down blood pressure, and deal with the stress of withdrawal.
Unfortunately, nicotine itself is the biggest problem, so moving to a patch will only help a little. If you need the patch to quit, start the process of quitting a few months before your surgery, so that you can go completely cold turkey eight weeks before.
Quitting smoking is a healthy decision, both for your recovery and for your life. When you start your new life after your rhinoplasty, you may find you are lucky to have kicked smoking and to have healthier, more natural skin.
Can Rhinoplasty Affect My Voice?
Since the shape and structure of your nose directly affects breathing, many patients wonder about whether or not rhinoplasty will affect the sound and quality of their voice. Voice is an important asset for singers and performers. And for those who make a living off of their voice, it’s even more important to know they are not risking anything by having rhinoplasty.
Fortunately, it is rare for there to be vocal changes following rhinoplasty. In fact, many singers and actors have had rhinoplasty! That being said, there is a small chance that rhinoplasty may cause slight vocal changes. This is very dependant on the patient’s specific facial structure.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some people have rhinoplasty in order to open up their nasal passages in order to make breathing easier. This can have a positive effect on their singing voice, sometimes making it less nasal.
Overall, the risks of rhinoplasty altering your voice in a negative way are small, but each case is specific and if vocal change is a concern you should discuss it with your surgeon.
Rhinoplasty is usually performed under general anesthesia, which involves intubation. During intubation, a breathing tube is inserted through the nose, past the vocal chords. This carries the risk of damage to the vocal chords. Ensuring that your anesthesiologist is board certified and experienced means that you can expect smooth intubation. If this is a major concern, you can also discuss different methods such as sedation anesthesia, which foregoes intubation.
During your consultation, it is important you raise any concerns about the effect of rhinoplasty on your voice. Dr. Kesarwani will be able to outline the possible risks, and hopefully assuage any concerns. Before undergoing rhinoplasty, it’s very important to thoroughly understand any and all aspects and possible effects of the procedure. We will make sure all questions are answered, as well as letting you know of any possible risks, and working with you to create realistic goals and expectations.
Dr. P. Kesarwani can also show you before and after Nose Job photos from patients we have performed the procedure on previously.
The Psychological Impact
While every patient’s experience with a nose job will be different, many report a boost in confidence and overall well-being following a rhinoplasty procedure. Positive results from a nose surgery can greatly boost self-confidence, especially when the motivation for undergoing the procedure is due to being uncomfortable with the appearance of your nose.
Having realistic expectations are key to being satisfied and happy with the results of your procedure and most cases of dissatisfaction will be due to unrealistic expectations.
Rhinoplasty can improve your physical appearance but it cannot cure depression or a lack of self-esteem. However, there are many studies that have demonstrated the notable emotional and psychological benefits a rhinoplasty procedure can have on patients with the right motivation and expectations.
Most of your peers and family members will likely be supportive of your new look but this is not always the case, so it is important to ensure that you know your motivations and desired outcome. Some patients may experience mild feelings of isolation immediately following the procedure as peers, colleagues, family members, and friends adapt to their new look and self-confidence.
