17110 Dallas N Pkwy, Suite 100
Dallas, Texas 75248
Phone: (972) 380-7090
Toll Free: (800) 299-9299
Fax: 1 (972) 380-7016
Dallas, Texas 75248
Phone: (972) 380-7090
Toll Free: (800) 299-9299
Fax: 1 (972) 380-7016
Nose Surgery (Rhinoplasty)
Rhinoplasty (nose surgery): reforms/enhances the size, shape and general appearance of your nose. In select cases it may relieve some breathing problems. Results are permanent.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What will my nose look like after surgery?
A: In general, rhinoplasty (cosmetic nose surgery) is designed to reduce excess cartilage, fat, and bone in the nose, removing irregularities and bumps to give a straightened, smooth and, usually smaller appearance. Adding tissue to enhance certain features of the nose can also occur. The overall trend in modern rhinoplasty is away from over-reduction of tissue that can reduce the ability to breathe through the nose and towards individualized treatment of each segment of the nose to give a balanced and refined look without compromising function.
Q: Do you offer computer imaging?
A: Yes. Rhinoplasty lends itself to computer imaging more than any other procedure. We have new morphing software that allows us to quickly and easily manipulate nasal features, producing an image that is a reasonable expectation after surgery. It is important that you understand that imaging is an interesting tool, but not a guarantee of results and can indeed be misused. There are things you can do with the computer that simply cannot be done in the operating room. We have been using computer imaging for facial surgery for well over 10 years and are thoroughly acquainted with both its benefits and its limitations.
Q: Can you make my nose look like Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise?
A: Occasionally patients bring in pictures of celebrities, actresses and models to emulate in our surgery. While these may give me an idea of what you are looking for, clearly I cannot give you another person's nose. The idea is to bring your features into balance and unless your face looks exactly like for example, Julia Roberts, you probably wouldn't look very good with a nose just like hers.
Q: How long does the surgery take and what kind of anesthesia is used?
A: Usually rhinoplasty takes from one to three hours depending on the complexity of the condition of the nose. Most patients have general anesthesia. Nearly all rhinoplasty operations are done as outpatient surgeries.
Q: Is there a lot of bruising afterwards and how long will it last?
A: This depends again on how complex the procedure is, but in general most patients experience five to seven days of bruising and swelling around the eyes and upper cheeks. The nose itself will be swollen for around ten to fourteen days or longer, but subtle resolution of the swelling at the tip of the nose can take many months after surgery to go away.
Q: I have trouble breathing through my nose and have terrible sinus problems. Will my insurance policy pay for this surgery?
A: The condition described is usually associated with a deviated septum or a bent internal framework of the nose. Most of the time this results from trauma such as a broken nose, but many patients with this condition cannot recall an episode where this might have occurred. The condition described in this question however, could also result from allergies or the two conditions can exist simultaneously. Careful examination is needed before surgery to separate the two conditions. While individual insurance policies vary, in general, functional surgery to improve breathing is considered a covered benefit in most group policies. If additional correction of a cosmetic deformity of the nose is done at the same time the cost of this part of the procedure is usually not covered by insurance.
Q: Where are the incisions placed during nose surgery?
A: Most of the incisions in rhinoplasty are hidden inside of the nostril. External incisions hidden in the creases where the nose meets the cheek can be used to narrow the nose. Incisions on the bridge or tip are not usually used in cosmetic surgery of the nose.
Q: A friend of mine heard of someone who had had several nose jobs to fix complications. Is that common?
A: For most cosmetic nasal surgery, the incidence of needing repeat surgery should be under 10%. In our clinic, the incidence of secondary surgery for cosmetic problems is under 3%.
Q: Will my nose grow after surgery?
A: Our noses tend to elongate as we enter the middle years of our life and drooping of the tip of the nose can occur in the later years as elasticity disappears from the body. While undergoing a cosmetic rhinoplasty as a teenager or young adult will not prevent the affects of aging on the nose, the final shape that results from this surgery is expected to last a lifetime and regrowth or bumps and deformities corrected by the operation is a rare occurrence.
Q: What happened to Michael Jackson's nose?
A: Not surprisingly, this may be the most frequently asked question during the course of rhinoplasty discussions. Unfortunately I cannot answer that question, as that is between Mr. Jackson and his doctors. Clearly something very undesirable took place that, on a lesser scale, is an example to everyone else. Plastic surgery should be a well thought out, balanced procedure and not as something that changes one's look on a wholesale basis except in exceptional cases. The bizarre changes associated with Michael Jackson's appearance and all the publicity it has gotten recently are probably the most extreme public demonstration of what not to try to achieve in the course of ANY plastic surgery procedure.
Rhinoplasty (nose surgery): reforms/enhances the size, shape and general appearance of your nose. In select cases it may relieve some breathing problems. Results are permanent.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What will my nose look like after surgery?
A: In general, rhinoplasty (cosmetic nose surgery) is designed to reduce excess cartilage, fat, and bone in the nose, removing irregularities and bumps to give a straightened, smooth and, usually smaller appearance. Adding tissue to enhance certain features of the nose can also occur. The overall trend in modern rhinoplasty is away from over-reduction of tissue that can reduce the ability to breathe through the nose and towards individualized treatment of each segment of the nose to give a balanced and refined look without compromising function.
Q: Do you offer computer imaging?
A: Yes. Rhinoplasty lends itself to computer imaging more than any other procedure. We have new morphing software that allows us to quickly and easily manipulate nasal features, producing an image that is a reasonable expectation after surgery. It is important that you understand that imaging is an interesting tool, but not a guarantee of results and can indeed be misused. There are things you can do with the computer that simply cannot be done in the operating room. We have been using computer imaging for facial surgery for well over 10 years and are thoroughly acquainted with both its benefits and its limitations.
Q: Can you make my nose look like Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise?
A: Occasionally patients bring in pictures of celebrities, actresses and models to emulate in our surgery. While these may give me an idea of what you are looking for, clearly I cannot give you another person's nose. The idea is to bring your features into balance and unless your face looks exactly like for example, Julia Roberts, you probably wouldn't look very good with a nose just like hers.
Q: How long does the surgery take and what kind of anesthesia is used?
A: Usually rhinoplasty takes from one to three hours depending on the complexity of the condition of the nose. Most patients have general anesthesia. Nearly all rhinoplasty operations are done as outpatient surgeries.
Q: Is there a lot of bruising afterwards and how long will it last?
A: This depends again on how complex the procedure is, but in general most patients experience five to seven days of bruising and swelling around the eyes and upper cheeks. The nose itself will be swollen for around ten to fourteen days or longer, but subtle resolution of the swelling at the tip of the nose can take many months after surgery to go away.
Q: I have trouble breathing through my nose and have terrible sinus problems. Will my insurance policy pay for this surgery?
A: The condition described is usually associated with a deviated septum or a bent internal framework of the nose. Most of the time this results from trauma such as a broken nose, but many patients with this condition cannot recall an episode where this might have occurred. The condition described in this question however, could also result from allergies or the two conditions can exist simultaneously. Careful examination is needed before surgery to separate the two conditions. While individual insurance policies vary, in general, functional surgery to improve breathing is considered a covered benefit in most group policies. If additional correction of a cosmetic deformity of the nose is done at the same time the cost of this part of the procedure is usually not covered by insurance.
Q: Where are the incisions placed during nose surgery?
A: Most of the incisions in rhinoplasty are hidden inside of the nostril. External incisions hidden in the creases where the nose meets the cheek can be used to narrow the nose. Incisions on the bridge or tip are not usually used in cosmetic surgery of the nose.
Q: A friend of mine heard of someone who had had several nose jobs to fix complications. Is that common?
A: For most cosmetic nasal surgery, the incidence of needing repeat surgery should be under 10%. In our clinic, the incidence of secondary surgery for cosmetic problems is under 3%.
Q: Will my nose grow after surgery?
A: Our noses tend to elongate as we enter the middle years of our life and drooping of the tip of the nose can occur in the later years as elasticity disappears from the body. While undergoing a cosmetic rhinoplasty as a teenager or young adult will not prevent the affects of aging on the nose, the final shape that results from this surgery is expected to last a lifetime and regrowth or bumps and deformities corrected by the operation is a rare occurrence.
Q: What happened to Michael Jackson's nose?
A: Not surprisingly, this may be the most frequently asked question during the course of rhinoplasty discussions. Unfortunately I cannot answer that question, as that is between Mr. Jackson and his doctors. Clearly something very undesirable took place that, on a lesser scale, is an example to everyone else. Plastic surgery should be a well thought out, balanced procedure and not as something that changes one's look on a wholesale basis except in exceptional cases. The bizarre changes associated with Michael Jackson's appearance and all the publicity it has gotten recently are probably the most extreme public demonstration of what not to try to achieve in the course of ANY plastic surgery procedure.