Nose reshaping, also known as rhinoplasty, enhances facial harmony and the proportions of the nose. It can also improve impaired breathing caused by structural defects in the nose.
Nose Reshaping Can Improve the Size and Shape of Your Nose
If you are unhappy with the size or shape of your nose, rhinoplasty is a safe, effective, and time-tested solution that can greatly improve your appearance and the balance of your facial features.
Are You A Candidate?
Our Facial Rejuvenation Cosmetic Self Evaluation can help you decide if rhinoplasty is the right procedure for you:
TAKE OUR SELF EVALUATIONEnhance Your Facial Balance and Proportion
An attractive face is all about balance and proportion. The nose, located front and center, provides the foundation for this sense of aesthetic balance. With the help of a skilled plastic surgeon, the nose can be reshaped and refined to enhance your natural beauty.
Rhinoplasty, or nose reshaping surgery, improves the shape, size, and symmetry of a person’s nose, bringing it into better proportion with the rest of the face. When performed by a skilled plastic surgeon, nose reshaping can be a rewarding and life-enhancing procedure. Patients often notice that their overall appearance has improved, as the nose they see now looks natural, like the nose they always thought they should have.
By reshaping the nose, rhinoplasty can help achieve one or more of the following goals:
Chin surgery may be recommended to patients undergoing rhinoplasty in order to achieve facial proportion, as the size of the chin may amplify or minimize the perceived size of the nose.
Candidates
Are You Bothered By The Appearance of Your Nose?
Men and women of all ages can benefit from nose reshaping. Nose reshaping is one of the more popular cosmetic procedures for teenage patients. Physically, the nose must be fully developed, typically around age 14 for girls and 16 for boys. Younger patients also need to demonstrate emotional maturity and understanding about the plastic surgery process.
You may be a good candidate for nose reshaping if:
It’s important to be in good overall health and to have realistic expectations. Rhinoplasty can help you improve upon your existing nose, but it cannot deliver “perfection” nor can it give you the nose of someone else.
Procedure Steps
Nose Surgery Is Highly Individualized
Nose surgery is highly individualized, and the exact techniques used during a procedure will look a little different each time, depending on your anatomy and desired changes. In general, however, a plastic surgeon’s techniques will fall under one of the following approaches.
Open vs. Closed Rhinoplasty
Open Rhinoplasty
For an “open” rhinoplasty, a small incision is made under the nasal tip, between the nostrils, and connected to incisions made inside the nostril. This approach allows the plastic surgeon to have more complete access to the nasal structures, where he or she can then sculpt the nose into the desired shape. Because of this increased visibility, access, and precision, plastic surgeons will typically use the open rhinoplasty approach for most patients. Cartilage may be used from inside the nose, the ears, or even the ribs to help reshape the nose. The resulting scars are well-hidden in the natural contours of the nose and are typically inconspicuous once healed.
Closed Rhinoplasty
For a “closed” rhinoplasty, incisions are made inside the nostril. This approach is most commonly used for patients who need more minor adjustments to the nasal structures to achieve their desired improvements. Cartilage may be used from inside the nose, the ears, or even the ribs to help reshape the nose. The advantages of closed rhinoplasty are that recovery is somewhat quicker and there is no external scarring after surgery; however, because of limited visibility and access, this approach may not be suitable for more extensive rhinoplasty procedures.
Revision Rhinoplasty
Revision rhinoplasty is a secondary operation to correct or further improve the results from primary rhinplasty. Revision rhinoplasty is most commonly performed using an open approach, although a closed approach may be suitable for some cases. Revision rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging procedures in all of plastic surgery and requires special expertise.
Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty
In certain cases, the nose can be reshaped nonsurgically using dermal fillers, providing improvements that can last up to a year. By strategically injecting a filler at certain points in the nose, a skilled plastic surgeon can help smooth out bumps, augment the bridge, reshape the tip, and improve nasal symmetry. Although the results are temporary, this nonsurgical approach can be a cost-effective way for patients to test drive a nose reshaping procedure before committing to the permanent changes possible with surgical rhinoplasty.
Additional Information
Rhinoplasty surgery is a technically demanding procedure that requires the highest level of surgical skill. It is imperative that the surgeon be highly skilled and experienced.
Rhinoplasty is typically performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia with intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. The procedure usually takes two to four hours to perform. You may be discharged home after surgery or stay overnight in the hospital.
Nose reshaping is often combined with chin enhancement, eyelid surgery, and facelift procedures to further improve facial balance.
Recovery*
After your procedure, your nose may be placed in a splint. This helps to support your newly shaped nose and protect it from accidental contact. You may also go home with packing inside your nostrils, which can be uncomfortable but temporary. You will be prescribed pain medication to help control any discomfort during your initial recovery.
For the first 1 to 2 weeks, many patients experience bruising and swelling. At first, you may not be able to see the improvements made during surgery. The majority of bruising and swelling should subside after the first 10 to 14 days. Most patients feel ready to return to work or school after 1 or 2 weeks. Typically after 3 weeks, most normal non-contact activities can be resumed.
While you will be able to see the improvements made during rhinoplasty after the initial bruising and swelling resolves, it is normal to have some slight residual swelling present for up to a year. This is usually not noticeable to others, however.
Costs
Exact Costs Vary Depending On Your Specific Needs and Desired Results
The cost of rhinoplasty surgery varies from person to person and depends on a number of factors including your specific needs and desired results.
Factors that contribute to the cost of treatment include:
Costs of surgery may include fees for the surgeon, anesthesia, operating room, facility, equipment, implants, garments, aftercare, lab tests, and medications.
The cost of rhinoplasty ranges from $5,000 to $50,000.
We offer a range of patient financing plans including low monthly payment plans and plans for those with suboptimal credit histories.
You can find more information about our Financing plans here
Choosing A Surgeon
Choose Your Surgeon Wisely
Rhinoplasty is a technically demanding procedure that requires the highest level of surgical skill. It is imperative that the surgeon be highly skilled and experienced. It is also important to note that no single technique is appropriate or “best” for all patients and that rhinoplasty surgery should be individualized for each patient depending on their goals and facial characteristics.
Dr. Fan is an Expert with a Full Range of Rhinoplasty Techniques
Dr. Fan is highly experienced with a variety of rhinoplasty techniques and procedures. He will select the best nose reshaping procedure for your specific goals and facial characteristics. Dr. Fan believes that less is more and will use the simplest, safest, and most reliable procedure to help you look your best.
Dr. Fan is also highly experienced with non-invasive and minimally-invasive facial rejuvenation treatments, so he will be able to help you understand the benefits, expected results, risks, and limitations of each type of treatment so that you can decide whether a non-surgical or surgical treatment is best for you.
Dr. Fan is known for his elegant sense of artistry and refined surgical skills. You will look natural and more balanced.
Look More Balanced and Beautiful
The results from rhinoplasty are lasting. While this means your new nose with be with you for a lifetime, it also makes it that much more important to choose a qualified plastic surgeon whom you can trust to deliver the results you desire.
Dr. Fan is known for his artistic eye, expert hands, experience, and obsessive attention to detail. He is also known for his natural looking rhinoplasty work.
“Rhino” means nose, and “plasty” means to shape, mold or form. So rhinoplasty is a procedure that reshapes the nose to improve facial balance and appearance.
“Closed” rhinoplasty refers to a form of rhinoplasty with more limited surgical access in which all of the incisions are hidden inside the nostril. Although some surgeons prefer the closed approach because it avoids a potentially visible scar and has less postoperative swelling, it also significantly limited the surgical exposure, making it difficult or even impossible to use many of today’s most effective rhinoplasty techniques.
As a result, many surgeons prefer the “open” approach, which is very similar to the closed approach but adds a small incision at the columella to connect the two intranasal incisions. The result of adding this tiny incision — usually only about 1/3 of an inch long! —is that surgical access and visualization is dramatically improved.
Direct visualization of the nasal framework allows maximum diagnostic accuracy as well as precision for modification. This approach is especially useful for patients who require complex changes or those with challenging anatomy such as revision rhinoplasty where the tissues have been previously altered. Although initially visible, the columellar incision seldom results in an objectionable scar and often fades completely in the months following surgery.
For the overwhelming majority of patients, the benefits gained by the open approach are well worth the very small risk of an unsightly columellar scar. By the same token, avoidance of a small potential scar is little consolation if the rhinoplasty result is compromised by poor or limited exposure.
Because rhinoplasty is a complicated procedure and the nose swells during the operation, there is about a 15% chance you may need to do a post-surgery touch up procedure.
The biggest limitation with rhinoplasty is thick skin, because thick skin is difficult to shrink and conform to the underlying framework of the nose. A surgeon can only do so much with a large nose if the skin does not contract, so results may be lesser.
Rhinoplasty is generally considered a safe procedure. However, all procedures have potential risks. The risks of rhinoplasty include bleeding, infection, scarring, adverse reaction to anesthesia, delayed healing, numbness, possible collapse, fullness, residual deformity, cartilage warping, breathing changes, septal perforation, and unsatisfactory results.
Chin surgery is a surgical procedure to reshape the chin either by enhancement with an implant or rehapsing the bone. Chin surgery may be recommended to patients undergoing rhinoplasty in order to achieve facial proportion, as the size of the chin may amplify or minimize the perceived size of the nose.
Learn More about Chin Surgery Coming Soon
“Dear Dr. Fan-Thank you so much…After 3 years of having no self-confidence and not pursuing my dreams you made it possible for me to accomplish all of these things. I don’t think that all the Thank You’s in the world will show my gratitude. F:antistic A:rtistic N:ice”*
— C.R.
Dr. Fan is also highly experienced with non-invasive and minimally-invasive facial rejuvenation treatments, so he will be able to help you understand the benefits, expected results, risks, and limitations of each type of treatment so that you can decide whether a non-surgical or surgical treatment is best for you.
In this feature length book, you will learn:
This book was written by top plastic surgeon, Dr. Larry Fan.
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Schedule your consultation with Dr. Fan here.
During your consultation, Dr. Fan will take the time to address your specific goals and to discuss your treatment options. He will determine if you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty surgery and review the results that can be realistically achieved. He will also help you determine which complementary procedures may benefit you the most.
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Larry Fan, MD - 77 Plastic Surgery
77 Van Ness Ave #302
San Francisco, CA 94102 Directions
care@77plasticsurgery.com