Nose Surgery, Nose Job & Rhinoplasty in Orange County & Newport Beach

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Procedure: Improvement of nasal contour by various maneuvers including removing the nasal hump, narrowing the nasal base, and/or improving highlights of the nasal tip.

Length: Ranges between 1-2 hours (closed rhinoplasty) and up to 3 to 4 hours (open rhinoplasty) of operative time.

Anesthesia: General anesthesia is usually recommended, as breaking of the nasal bones is required to eliminate a nasal hump and reduce the nasal base width.

Place of Treatment: Outpatient surgical suite or hospital operating room.

Recovery: The recovery period for nasal surgery with a return to daily activities is usually 1 – 2 weeks. Patients are asked to forego physical activities and exercise for approximately 4 weeks until the nasal bones have completely fused and are stable.

Duration of Results: Patients who have undergone nasal surgery can expect aesthetically pleasing results for life. Early revisions are rare and are typically discouraged. Late revisions are needed in younger patients whose nose will continue to grow and evolve through life.

Side Effects: Side effects are events that may be experienced by patients as a result of your surgery and should not be considered adverse events. Our patients are counseled regarding these effects and if experienced they are tolerable and often temporary in duration.

1. Prolonged swelling up to 3 months is not uncommon due to poor lymphatic drainage especially following open rhinoplasty. Lymphatic drainage is compounded by extended surgical incision (open rhinoplasty) across the bottom of the nose (columella) when the nasal tip must be altered.
2. Temporary bruising is often associated with nasal surgery when nasal hump reduction and thus breaking of the nasal bones is required. Bruising is minimized by compression maneuvers during the operation, placement of an external splint following surgery, and icing of the eyes. Arnica gel is also recommended in patients who bruise easily. Most bruising subsides within 1 to 2 weeks.

Risks: Risks are unwanted events that may occur during or following surgery. These events are recognized as “complications” but their occurrence is minimized by appropriate patient selection, proper surgical decision making, effective surgical technique, and thorough preoperative and postoperative patient management.

1. Poor nasal scarring is seldom observed when the surgical incisions are extended to the bottom (columella) of the nose during open rhinoplasty.
2. Local skin infection is uncommon and associated with complex nasal deformities and thus more extensive nasal surgeries requiring augmentation of nasal parts with cartilage grafts. Diabetes and nutritional deficiencies are largely to blame for the difficult healing of these patients. When cartilage grafts are required, measures are taken intraoperatively to avoid this complication.
3. Residual nasal distortion is uncommon but associated with a preoperative crooked nose deformity. Despite measures taken to correct the crooked or twisted nose, the underlying cartilages, which make up 2/3rd of the nasal infrastructure have “memory” and will try to mold back into their old shape. Several measures are taken to avoid this complication and include: scorring (weakening) of the cartilage and “stitching down” the cartilage in its newly desired shape.
4. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) may occur in the legs immediately following surgery. DVT refers to the clotting off of leg veins which may result in compromised blood flow return from the legs; a more critical consequence may develop from this clot if it is dislodged and travels to the lungs causing a pulmonary emboli. Although rare, pulmonary emboli are the leading cause of death following surgery. Measures are taken intra-operatively to avoid such a complication.

1. What is the history of nose job surgery?
2. Am I a good candidate for nose job surgery?
3. What does nose job surgery involve?
4. How do I plan my nose job surgery?
5. How do I prepare for nose job surgery?
6. What results can I expect after nose job surgery?
7. Where will my nose job surgery be performed?
8. What type of anesthesia will be used for my nose job surgery?
9. What should I expect after nose job surgery?
10. Will I be able to return to work following nose job surgery?
11. Are there any side effects associated with nose job surgery?
12. Are there any risks associated with nose job surgery?

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