With all the buzz surrounding celebrities and their shrinking noses, rhinoplasty tends to be a large point of internet and celebrity magazine chatter. Heidi Montag is the latest queen of the rhinoplasty (along with many other procedures) as well as speculation about Ashlee Simpson, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Aniston, Ashton Kutcher, Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz and Halle Berry to name a select few. While some have never admitted their modifications, it is probably safe to assume that all of these famous faces have undergone a transformation commonly referred to as a nose job.
In real life, a nose job is not a magical, painless transformation, but a serious surgery complete with general anesthesia and a painful recovery. While some seek rhinoplasties for deviated septums, others undergo the procedure for purely cosmetic reasons. A deviated septum is when the “spine” of your nose, the bone and cartilage between the two nostrils, is deformed and extremely asymmetrical. This lack of symmetry can produce breathing difficulties and other health issues. A rhinoplasty can help restore the symmetry to the nose, allowing the patient to receive air properly through both nostrils.
The actual operation can be open or closed. When closed, incisions are made inside the nostrils. The cartilage and bone (or the septum) is then removed and reshaped to achieve the patient’s desired results. Closed rhinoplasty is more for minor contouring since the procedure requires fewer incisions.
An open rhinoplasty is when the incisions are made in the small piece of skin separating the nostrils. This strip of skin is referred to as the columella. The surgeon is able to better view the nasal anatomy this way, but the surgery is also slightly more severe.
After the nose has been stitched up, a splint or packing will be used to ensure the proper healing of the new nose. Internal stents are also used to help the nose keep its revised shape after surgery. These are generally removed two weeks post procedure and the splints on the outside around one week. Recovery is usually accompanied by a large amount of bruising and occasional swelling, but should subside by the second week.
Several risks of the procedure, aside from the usual bleeding and infection are septal perforations, which are small holes accidentally made during surgery which can cause an embarrassing whistle with every breath along with risks of breathing difficulties and chronic nosebleeds. Other risks include abnormal scarring that could affect breathing, nose deformity due to an excess of cartilage removal and possible numbness of the nose.
