What is nose surgery?
Nose surgery is a procedure that alters the structure and appearance of your nose.
Face & Neck
Nose Surgery
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Why get nose surgery?
If you are unhappy with the appearance of your nose or you have trouble breathing out it, nose surgery may be right for you.
Below are some of the benefits of nose surgery:
• Improve the size, shape, and angle of your nose
• Enhance the proportions of your face
• Correct structural problems that restrict breathing
• Improve your self-image and self-confidence
What should I consider before getting nose surgery?
Please consult with your aesthetic plastic surgeon for more information on what is unique to you.
• You need to be in good general health.
• You should be at least seventeen years old to allow your facial features to reach maturity. You can get surgery at earlier ages, but it has higher rates of revision due to ongoing facial growth.
• You’ll need to take up to two weeks off for recovery.
• You may develop scars at the base of your nose.
• Depending on the type of surgery, you may have skin problems or risks of future undesired changes..
• Your results may not perfectly match your desired “ideal nose” given your unique facial features.
• It will take time to adjust to your new look.
How is nose surgery performed?
After numbing the area, your aesthetic plastic surgeon will make incisions to access the bones and cartilage that support the nose.
By adding or removing bone and cartilage and adjusting the supporting structures inside the nose, your aesthetic plastic surgeon can reduce or increase the size of your nose and shorten or lengthen it.
• Tip grafts made of cartilage can be used to remodel the tip of your nose, making it more lifted, longer, shorter, or thinner.
• Your skin and other soft tissues will remodel to assume the shape of the underlying structure.
• In some patients, tissue fillers or fat grafts can be added to increase volume in desired areas.
What are my nose surgery options?
There are two main incision approaches: the open approach and the internal (endonasal) approach. See Incisions and Scars section to the left.
With an open approach, the surgeon makes incisions outside the nose, adjusting cartilage and bone to improve the shape of the nose.
The nasal bridge can be narrowed by moving the bone inward.
With an internal approach, the surgeon makes incisions inside the nasal passages. Because these incisions are hidden, they are invisible after surgery.
What can I expect during a consultation?
Generally, because of the in-depth nature of the consultation, there is usually a cost associated with the initial visit.
During your initial consultation, you will have the opportunity to discuss your aesthetic goals. Your surgeon will evaluate whether you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty and clarify what nose surgery can do for you. Once your surgeon understands your goals and medical condition, both alternative and additional treatments may be considered.
You should come to the consultation prepared to discuss your complete medical history, such as your:
• Previous surgeries
• Past and present medical conditions
• Allergies and current medications
What questions should I ask my aesthetic plastic surgeon about my nose surgery?
It’s important that you take an active role in your surgery, so please use this list of questions as a starting point for your initial consultation.
• Am I a good candidate for rhinoplasty?
• Are the results I am seeking reasonable and realistic?
• Do you have before-and-after photos I can look at for the procedure I want?
• How many nose surgeries have you performed?
• Where will you perform my surgery and how long will it take?
• Will I have any visible scars? Where will my scars be located?
• What kind of anesthesia do you recommend for me?
• What is the cost associated with my surgery?
• What will you expect of me to get the best results?
• What kind of recovery period can I expect, and when can I resume normal activities?
• What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure?
• How are complications handled?
• What are my options if my outcome does not meet the goals we agreed on?
What happens after the consultation?
Based on your goals, physical characteristics, and the surgeon’s training and experience, your aesthetic plastic surgeon will share recommendations and information with you, including:
• An approach to your surgery, including the type of procedure or combination of procedures
• The outcomes that you can anticipate
• The financial investment required for the procedure
• Associated risks and complications
• Options for anesthesia and surgery location
• What you need to prepare for your surgery
• What you can expect to experience during and after surgery
• Before and after photos of cases similar to yours
• Answers to any of your questions
Once you’ve done your research and completed your consultation, you should be able to make an educated decision on whether surgery is right for you and whether a surgeon is a good fit. If you still aren’t sure how to proceed, you should feel empowered to ask follow-up questions or set up a consultation with a different surgeon. You can also ask one of our board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeons a question using our Ask a Surgeon feature.
How do I prepare for nose (rhinoplasty) surgery?
Your surgeon will provide thorough preoperative instructions, answer any questions you may have, take a detailed medical history, and perform a physical exam to determine your fitness for surgery.
In advance of your procedure, your surgeon will ask you to:
• Stop smoking before undergoing surgery to promote better healing.
• Avoid taking aspirin, certain anti-inflammatory drugs, and some herbal medications that can cause increased bleeding.
• Hydrate before and after surgery for safe recovery.
Rhinoplasty is usually an outpatient procedure. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you at least the first night following surgery. If your surgery involves septal work or is a revision of prior work, your surgeon may require an overnight stay to ensure your safety.
What can I expect the day of my nose surgery?
Below is what you can generally expect, but be sure to consult with your surgeon so that you have the most accurate expectations.
• You may have your rhinoplasty in a hospital, a free-standing ambulatory facility, or an office-based surgical suite.
• Most rhinoplasty procedures take at least one to three hours to complete but may take longer.
• The surgeon will administer medications for your comfort during the surgical procedure.
• General anesthesia is commonly used during rhinoplasty, although local anesthesia or intravenous sedation may be desirable in some instances.
• For your safety during the surgery, various monitors will be used to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse, and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
• Your surgeon will follow the surgical plan discussed with you before your surgery.
• After your procedure, you will go to a recovery area for continued monitoring.
• You will have a splint placed outside your nose to support its new shape as it heals. Nasal packing may also be used inside the nose to provide additional support.
• You will probably be permitted to go home after a short observation period unless you and your surgeon have made other plans for your immediate postoperative recovery.
How long does it take to recover from nose surgery?
It typically takes about two weeks to recover from nose surgery. Your surgeon will discuss how long it will be before you can return to your normal level of activity and work. After surgery, you and your caregiver will receive detailed instructions about your post-operative care, including information about:
• Normal symptoms you will experience
• Normal nose-bleeding for the first 24 hours
• Potential signs of complication
It is vital that you follow all the patient care instructions your surgeon provides. It is also important to know that the amount of time it takes for recovery varies greatly among individuals. You will need to wait for several weeks before you can engage in exercise or athletics.
What can I expect in the first 24 hours of my nose surgery recovery?
• You may need to wear a nasal splint over your nose for support. The splint will protect your nose while you sleep and shield it from accidental bumps. You may also have a small triangular bandage beneath the tip of your nose.
• You will have nasal packing inside your nose for additional support; it acts as an internal splint to hold everything in place and to keep the airway clean and free of crusts. Many patients dislike the idea of anything in their noses, so adjusting to the nasal packing may be difficult. Some surgeons insert a small tube in each airway to allow the patient to breathe more freely when the packing is in place.
• Expect some swelling and bruising and possibly some discomfort. Your face will be puffy, and the areas around your nose and eyes will be bruised and swollen after surgery. Your surgeon may recommend cold compresses to help minimize the swelling and reduce pain. You may need to keep your head elevated and relatively still for the first few days after surgery.
• Your surgeon may prescribe a pain medication to deal with any pain you may experience.
• You will have to limit your activities for a few days to weeks.
What can I expect in my first few weeks of recovery?
• All surgical packing within your nose will be removed within four to seven days after surgery.
• The splint and bandages on your nose will be removed in a week to ten days.
• It takes about ten to fourteen days before most of the swelling and bruising improves, but could take three weeks for really “bad” bruising.
• Your return to work or school depends on how much exertion your job or your school activities require. Most normal activities, including exercise, can usually resume within three weeks.
• You should avoid strenuous exercise, straining, bending, and lifting until cleared to do so by your plastic surgeon.
How long will my nose surgery results last?
The results of rhinoplasty are permanent, which is why it’s so important to have clear aesthetic goals when you're planning your procedure. A surgeon should only perform rhinoplasty on a nose that has finished growing; complete development usually occurs by age seventeen. If nose surgery is performed before development is complete, continued growth can change the outcome of your surgery and cause potential problems and complications.
What do I need to consider after my nose surgery?
To achieve the most beautiful and safe outcome, it’s important you return to your aesthetic plastic surgeon's office for follow-up evaluation at prescribed times and whenever you notice any changes in your rhinoplasty. Do not hesitate to contact your surgeon when you have any questions or concerns.
What type of nose surgery incisions are there?
There are two main incision approaches: the open approach and the internal (endonasal) approach.
Open Rhinoplasty
For an open rhinoplasty, the surgeon makes the incisions outside the nose with a small access incision on the underside of the nose between the nostrils that then connects with other incisions hidden inside the nose. The open rhinoplasty approach fully opens the nose, providing the best visualization of the nasal structures and a more direct route for surgical manipulation.
With an open approach, the surgeon makes incisions outside the nose, adjusting cartilage and bone to improve the shape of the nose. The nasal bridge can be narrowed by moving the bone inward.
Internal (Endonasal) Rhinoplasty
For an endonasal rhinoplasty, the surgeon makes the incisions inside the nasal passages. Advocates for the endonasal approach say it permits more limited dissection of nasal tissues, offers excellent visualization of nasal structures, and eliminates the visible scar at the base of the nose.
With an internal approach, the surgeon makes incisions inside the nasal passages. Because these incisions are hidden, they are invisible after surgery.
Will I have any nose surgery scars?
With open rhinoplasty, there typically is a small scar at the base of the nose that is barely visible once it heals. For an endonasal rhinoplasty, the incisions are inside your nose, and there is usually no visible scarring.
What risks are there with rhinoplasty surgery?
Fortunately, significant complications from rhinoplasty are infrequent. You should discuss your specific nose surgery risks with your aesthetic plastic surgeon during your consultation.
All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Some of the potential complications of all surgeries are:
• Adverse reaction to anesthesia
• Hematoma or seroma (an accumulation of blood or fluid under the skin that may require removal)
• Infection and bleeding
• Changes in sensation
• Scarring
• Allergic reactions
• Damage to underlying structures
• Unsatisfactory results that may necessitate additional procedures
Other risks specific to rhinoplasty are:
• Skin problems or skin breakdown from bandaging or from grafting materials being exposed through thin skin, particularly if foreign materials have been inserted
• Nasal blockage caused by swelling inside the nose
• Injury to your septum, the structure that separates your nostrils
• A scar at the base of the nose with the open approach
You can help minimize certain risks by following the advice and instructions of your board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon, both before and after your rhinoplasty.
How much does nose surgery cost?
The cost of rhinoplasty procedures varies by surgeon and geographic area. Be sure to ask your surgeon what the approximate cost will be for your specific nose lift during your consultation.
The average cost for a nose surgery is: $5,999.
*The above statistic comes from the 2022 Aesthetic Plastic Surgery National Databank Statistics. This number only reflects standard procedure costs (surgeon and facility fees) and may not include other fees for anesthesia, medical tests, prescriptions, surgical garments, or other miscellaneous costs related to your procedure.
Does insurance cover nose surgery?
Because rhinoplasty is elective cosmetic surgery, insurance does not cover these costs. Many surgeons offer patient financing plans to make the procedure more affordable. However, if your surgery is to correct a deviated septum or another structural deformity, it may be covered by insurance, and you should check with your aesthetic plastic surgeon about this possibility.
What should I consider when evaluating the cost of nose surgery?
Choose your surgeon based on quality, training, and experience—not cost.
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