What sort of surgeon is preferable?
It's believed that ideally you want
an ear, nose and throat surgeon with training
in facial plastic surgery. Someone who
only has experience in plastic surgery
can make your nose look more beautiful
but they may not have any idea of the
internal function of the nose. There is
no point in having a good-looking nose
if you can't breathe through it. Surgeons
with Double-Board or those who are
Board-Certified for cosmetic and facial
surgeries would be your best choice since
their board acceptance shows they have
passed all related test and are aware
of all aspect of rhinoplasty
procedure.
What about computer imagery?
This is essential to temper inappropriate
expectations. We show people what we can
do for them rather than what they want
to see.
With a lot of the revisions we perform,
we try to do our best to show the patient
their face on screen or explained to them
exactly what is going to happen. Digital
imaging is excellent for that. It's
very realistic and you can be gratifyingly
accurate.
What if you suspect the surgeon
is offering you an unrealistic prognosis?
Probably the most common erroneous claim
a surgeon makes is telling a patient who
has a big tip to the nose that they can
make it into a neat little tip. Cosmetic
surgery patients may have huge expectations
and we have to make them realistic. If
you have a 1/10 nose, you’re never going
to have a 10/10 nose. It is realistic
to hope for a 5/10.Treating tips of noses
can take a very long time.
Do you feel comfortable with
your surgeon?
If you don't, then simply walk away.
If you're not comfortable, you won't communicate
and you won't get the results you are
really looking for.
Which approach is preferred?
Internal or external?
Rhinoplasty (nose job) procedure depends
on what each surgeon prefers. External
approaches are for difficult noses or
revision noses where you need to see everything
that is going on so you can fix it up
- so if you think that is your problem,
you might want to ensure you will receive
external surgery.
Do you get the impression the
surgeon is being totally honest with you?
Crooked noses are the most difficult
to treat successfully because cartilage
tends to have a memory and wants to go
back the way it was. So you might have
a beautiful nose after the operation but
down the track it might start to bend
a little bit.
Also, the best bone and cartilage you
get is that provided by Mother Nature.
It is perfectly smooth. After surgery,
you might get some bumps. And patients
should also be warned that immediately
after surgery, they might find their breathing
pattern is affected. The surgeon shouldn't
just tell you what you want to hear. They
should warn you that recovery might be
slow, that you may need a touch-up operation
and that if you have an asymmetric nose
it may remain crooked.
