No two plastic surgery procedures are ever exactly the same. That’s because no two patients are ever exactly the same. Even procedures like rhinoplasty surgery that seem fairly straightforward on the surface require several important decisions and factors that will ultimately impact the patient’s results and long-term satisfaction. So in order to help prospective patients make the best and most informed choices possible regarding their surgery, I was happy to answer a few common questions about rhinoplasty.
Question #1: How long after rhinoplasty surgery is it normal to still experience swelling?
With any rhinoplasty procedure (or any plastic surgery for that matter), some degree of patience will be required. Post-surgery swelling and bruising will occur, but will diminish over time. Patients will still experience noticeable swelling and bruising one week after surgery. After two weeks, this should really begin to fade. In truth, it can take up to a year for swelling to be fully gone, but this degree of swelling is minimal and your newly re-contoured nose will truly emerge much sooner than that.
Question #2: What age is it appropriate to begin considering rhinoplasty surgery?
It’s true that rhinoplasty is one of the few cosmetic surgery procedures regularly performed on teenage patients. However, I still advise my younger patients and their guardians to take a more patient approach before opting for surgery. It’s important to wait until the facial features have had time to fully grow and mature before altering the facial structure with surgery. This is why I typically recommend my teenage rhinoplasty patients to wait until they are at least 16 or 17 before making a final decision.
Question #3: What if I only want the tip of my nose altered?
The appearance of the nose can be a delicate thing. While it’s not uncommon for patients to only want to alter the tip of their nose, it’s important to understand that changing one part of your nose can alter how the other parts look as well. For example, reducing the tip of the nose could make the nostrils look wider or the bridge of the nose look larger. It is typically a more beneficial approach to adjust the entire nose to the specifications that the patient desires. I also perform ethnic rhinoplasty procedures for patients of different ethnic groups who prefer to accentuate certain features or areas of their nose during surgery.
I pride myself on offering my rhinoplasty patients as many options as possible to make sure that every person receives the results they desire without ever having to feel like they are compromising or not working on their terms. For more information on rhinoplasty or if you would like to schedule a complimentary plastic surgery consultation, please contact me, Dr. David Whiteman, at Southern Plastic Surgery. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for additional tips, news, and much more.