Nose Surgery (Rhinoplasty) in Oakland

WHO IS A CANDIDATE?

Rhinoplasty may be appropriate for you if you are dissatisfied with the shape of your nose or if you do not breathe well through your nose. The operation is rarely done before facial growth is completed, that is, age 14 -16. The thickness of the skin on the nose is different in different people. Thinner skin allows any changes made in the underlying skeleton of bone and cartilage to show through clearly. Thick skin tends to hide such changes and may limit the production of a fine delicate look. As we get older it becomes harder to adjust to the look of a very different nose, and dramatic changes may not be a good idea after age 35.

WHAT CHANGES CAN BE EXPECTED?

Many people have a "bump" on their nose that is most prominent on profile view, and this can be removed. A crooked nose can be straightened, although sometimes not completely. The tip can be made smaller, both vertically and side-to-side. There is more than one profile shape that is considered attractive.

HOW IS A RHINOPLASTY DONE?

Dr. Cedars does the operation under general anesthesia, with a Board-certified physician anesthesiologist taking care of you. Incisions are made inside the nose, and these are commonly connected with a skin incision across the narrow strip of skin between the nostrils. Reshaping is done by a number of techniques, including removing cartilage and bone, placing cartilage in new locations, and shaping cartilage by placing permanent sutures. Often, the bones are cut and repositioned.

AFTERCARE

You may or may not have packing in the nose, and you may or may not have a plaster splint on the outside. If so, these are removed in a week or sometimes earlier. Narcotics are prescribed for pain control. People are usually back at light activities after 10-14 days.

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