Rhinoplasty is a form of nose surgery that can help manage many conditions. Residents of the Kissimmee and Orlando, Florida areas looking for rhinoplasty, as well as other ENT needs, can find help with Drs. Wade Han, Elvira Livigni De Armas, and our specialized team at Florida Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center.
Is rhinoplasty right for you? To help answer this question, let’s look at how your nose works, the reasons for getting rhinoplasty, and what to expect during the procedure.
Breathing is an essential part of living. Your body takes in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide through your respiratory system, and your nose is a vital part of that process.
Along with your mouth, your nose draws in air. It also filters and cleans the air, provides your sense of smell, and moisturizes the air as it moves through your respiratory system.
Your nose is composed of bone (top of your nose where the hard bridge starts), the septum (the center bridge down the front made of bone and cartilage), nostrils, nasal cavities, and the turbinates (also called conchae, located on the sides of both nasal cavities). The cavities are lined with mucous membrane that protects your nose from dirt and particles, and hair and cilia for trapping them. The nostrils are filled with nerve cells for smelling.
Your nose also contributes to the appearance of your face and how you speak. It is the reason you can eat, speak and breathe simultaneously through the nasopharynx, a passageway behind your nose which forms the top of your throat.
This type of plastic surgery can be used to treat structural and cosmetic problems with your nose, such as:
For cosmetic purposes, rhinoplasty can change the size, width, shape, and symmetry of your nose to make it look more visually appealing. This includes reshaping bumps on the bridge of your nose, the tip of your nose, and the sides of your nose.
First, we evaluate your health to determine if you’re a good candidate for rhinoplasty. Smoking, an unhealthy nose, or a nose that’s still growing can directly affect results.
Once this is accomplished, the procedure starts with local or general anesthesia. Once unconscious, the surgeon will begin making incisions between or inside your nostrils and separate skin from cartilage and bone to start reshaping. If you need more bone or cartilage, it may be obtained from your ear, deep inside your nose, or through a bone graft. Once the work is done, the incisions are closed up and a plastic or metal splint may be placed on the nose to offer support while it heals.
You will stay in a recovery room for a few hours for observation, and depending on the amount of work, you can be hospitalized for up to two days. Be sure to elevate your head above your chest when resting during recovery, and avoid excessive chewing, blowing your nose, resting eyeglasses on your nose, making facial expressions that require lots of muscle movement, swimming, or running in the weeks following the procedure.
Depending on the amount of work done, you should be able to return to normal activities as soon as a week after the surgery. Full recovery may take months.
So, whether you need to alter structural problems with your nose or want to make aesthetic changes, rhinoplasty gives you results. To find out if you're a good candidate, make an appointment with Drs. Han, Livigni De Armas, and Florida Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center today.
