Of all plastic surgery procedures, nose enhancement, or rhinoplasty, is among the most common, and most challenging. Rhinoplasty may be performed to correct an injury, birth defect, and/or to improve the breathing.
Rhinoplasty is usually performed under general anesthesia in an outpatient setting. In most cases an open approach is used, in which the skin of the columella (the strip of skin between the nostrils) is cut and lifted away from the bony and cartilaginous framework beneath. The bone and cartilage is shaped, reduced, or augmented as desired. The skin is then re-draped over the modified framework. An external splint (cast) is applied for one week to protect the nose and help maintain the new form. Occasionally but never routinely, internal splints is inserted through the nostril for several days.
Following surgery, bruising, swelling, and mild to moderate discomfort (mostly nasal congestion) can be expected for about a week, but all can be alleviated with cold compresses and medication prescribed by Dr. Russo. Strenuous activities may be resumed within a month.
The best opportunity to achieve an excellent result for rhinoplasty is the first time it is done. Subsequent procedures are increasingly difficult to perform or achieve desired results. For this reason, it’s important to select your rhinoplasty surgeon carefully. Dr. Russo has extensive rhinoplasty experience of over 25 years and over 3,500 cases: a large percentage of which were revision cases of surgery performed elsewhere.
