Rhinoplasty in India

Rhinoplasty is a surgery to reshape your nose and to improve the nasal obstruction and breathing difficulties due to narrow airway. If you are not happy with the way your nose looks, you can have a rhinoplasty to make it look more pleasing. Ideally, the size and shape of your nose should be in the right proportions with the rest of your face. A nose that is too wide, large, too small, etc. can be reshaped in tune with the rest of your face.

Apart from its cosmetic benefits, a rhinoplasty can also help to improve your ability to breathe through the nose. A deviated nasal septum or a variation in the anatomy of your nose or past injury to nose can cause difficulties with nasal breathing. By reshaping the internal structures of your nose, a rhinoplasty helps to make it easy for you to breathe.  

Your nose has nasal bones, cartilages, and skin. Any abnormality in shape, or position, or relative alignment in any of these, can make your nose look imperfect. 

During a rhinoplasty, your surgeon will correct abnormalities in nasal bones, cartilages, and the skin. After surgery, your nose will be in proportion with the rest of the face, and your airways will be more clear for proper breathing. 

The duration of surgery is about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the amount of correction needed. Your hospital stay during surgery will be for 1 to 2 days.

Will a rhinoplasty help me to reshape my nose?

A rhinoplasty will help you to reshape your nose if you have any deformity, or your nose is not in proportion with the rest of your face.

A rhinoplasty can

• Straighten your nose if the bridge has a slight bend to one side
• Smoothen any bumps in the bridge of the nose
• Reduce the length of the tip of your nose, if it is prominent
• Reshape your nose tip, if it is bulbous in appearance
• Reduce the size of your nose, if it looks too large in your face
• Increase the size of your nose, if it is too small for your face
• Resize your nostrils if the opening is big or small

It can also help those who have a disfigured nose due to facial injury or trauma. By using cartilages taken for another part of the body, the surgeon can recreate the shape and size of the original nose. 

A rhinoplasty will also help you to get relief from your breathing problems as well. By correcting the deviation of your nasal septum, the surgery will help you to breathe more easily. A rhinoplasty will change the way your nose looks forever.

Am I the right candidate for rhinoplasty? 

You can have rhinoplasty if your nose size and shape are not in the right proportions with the rest of your face. If you suffer from breathing difficulties due to the abnormal anatomy of your nose, a rhinoplasty will help correct it.

A rhinoplasty will change the appearance of your nose and thereby your face. You need to have realistic expectations regarding the outcome of the surgery. You will have to discuss with your surgeon regarding your expectations after surgery.

At times, surgical limitations can affect the result, and the surgeon will advise you about the same. In such situations, you should proceed with the surgery only if you are convinced about the outcome and is ready to accept it. Over-expectations can make you dissatisfied, even if the result is the best you can have under the circumstances.

If the skin over your nose is too thick, your rhinoplasty results will be less than ideal. It is because the post-operative swelling that develops after your surgery will take a very long time to go off. In some, it may remain the same for life.

A rhinoplasty is major surgery. Certain conditions prevent you from having surgery. They are 

• High blood sugar levels- If you have uncontrolled diabetes, the operation will have to wait till the sugar levels fall to surgically acceptable levels
• Severe heart diseases- Like any other surgery, persons with acute cardiac problems cannot have rhinoplasty as well. 

How to prepare for rhinoplasty? 

A rhinoplasty is major surgery. You will be in the hospital only for 2 to 3 days, but recovery will take about 10 to 30 days. 

You should stop smoking if you do, at least two weeks before. You should also stop some medications like Blood thinners before the operation.

A rhinoplasty can change the way your face looks. So have a proper understanding of the outcome of the surgery. 

If you feel a change in your appearance will change your social or professional life, again, have realistic and practical expectations. Because, a rhinoplasty can only change the way you look, but not your outlook to life!

Changes in social and professional life can happen, but they will happen only gradually. You need to give time to yourself, for these changes to occur.  

What are the types of rhinoplasty? 

There are two main types of rhinoplasty.

1. Open rhinoplasty- Here, there will be an incision in the base of the nose at the junction of your nose with your upper lip. An open rhinoplasty is better if you need large corrections in the shape or size of your nose. The drawback of an open rhinoplasty is the presence of a visible surgical scar. However, in all probability, it is a well-concealed scar.

2. Closed rhinoplasty- In this, the surgeon will make the incisions inside your nostrils. That way, the scars will not be visible. But a closed rhinoplasty is not ideal for larger corrections.

What happens during a rhinoplasty?

You will be under anesthesia during the surgery and so will not feel any pain.

Your surgeon will make a small incision inside your nostrils. Through this incision, the surgeon will reshape your nasal bone, cartilage, or both. This type of rhinoplasty is the closed rhinoplasty.

In open rhinoplasty, the surgeon will make the incision at the base of the nose. This type will leave a scar though barely visible. The control of correction and proportion is better with open rhinoplasty.

A nasal splint will be placed over the nose to reduce post-operative swelling.

It is natural for you to feel some pain, once the effect of anesthesia wears off. Painkillers will help to reduce the pain. The bandage over your nose will help control swelling the usually happens after the surgery.

If the surgeon is happy with the progress you are having, you will be allowed to go home the day after surgery. 

How will be the recovery after a rhinoplasty? 

Once you are in the hospital room after surgery, you will have to keep your head in an elevated position. You will be wearing the nasal splint for a few more days after the surgery.

Your nose will look swollen and bruised after surgery. Swelling may develop under your eyes, upper lips, and cheeks as well. Keeping your head elevated, and having the nasal splint on, will help control the swelling. There will be medicines to reduce swelling and bruises. Icepacks will have to be placed around your nose and face to keep the post-operative swelling to a minimum.

The bruising and associated discoloration will gradually disappear in a few days. But the swelling will take some more time to go off. In most, it will be a few months before the swelling completely disappears.

In the first few days after surgery, there may be mild oozing from the nose. It is normal and will stop on its own without any treatment. Nose packs will be placed inside the nostrils to control it for a few days 

Even after the swelling in other parts of the face goes off, your nose may hay have some amount of swelling. It will usually be there for about three to six months. The final results of the surgery will be visible only after this.

How is the post-operative care for a rhinoplasty done?

After a rhinoplasty, you need to take care of a few things for a faster recovery.

You will have to take the prescribed medications on time to prevent infections. Besides, you will have to use saline nasal sprays to keep your nostrils moist and prevent crusts from forming.

Breathing through your nose may be slightly obstructed for the first few days. Avoid sneezing as much as you can, because it can cause bleeding.

While sleeping or lying down, you will have to keep your head elevated. You should not sleep with your face down for a few days.

You will eat only soft food soon after surgery. Chewing on hard food can cause pain and discomfort. Once the side-effects of surgery decrease in intensity, you can go back to your regular diet.

If you wear glasses, resting it over the bridge of your nose will be a problem for a few days. The swelling in your nose will prevent your glasses from fitting properly over your nose. If there is swelling around your eyes, you will wear your contact lenses only after it goes off.

You should not lift any heavy objects or bend down for a few days. Avoiding strain while passing stools is very important. If you have problems with the stool movement, you will have to take laxatives after consulting your doctor.

You need to give as much rest to your face as possible. Protect your nose from any injury, dust, fumes, etc. till you recover.

It is better to avoid smoking and drinking as they interfere with your wound healing and recovery.Brushing your upper teeth in the early days after surgery will have to be done with care.

Driving can be resumed after a few days, once you get permission from the surgeon. Physical exercises, workouts, etc. can be started after about three weeks. You will have to wait a little longer before you can swim or dive into the water.

You need to consult your surgeon if you have a high fever, severe pain or bleeding, and headaches that do not go away with usual medicines.

What are the risks and complications of rhinoplasty?

As in any surgery, rhinoplasty also has its share of risks and complications. Some are general, while others are specific to rhinoplasty.

General risks and complications include 

• Reactions to anesthesia
• Bleeding 
• Swelling 
• Infections, of the surgery site

There are certain specific risks of rhinoplasty. They include

• Difficulty in breathing through the nose.
• Continuous dripping from the nose
• Dryness of the nose
• Recurrent sinus infections
• Formation of a hole in the septum(septal perforation)
• Formation of crusts inside the nostrils
• Numbness in and around the nose
• Over-correction, under-correction, the asymmetry between the sides 
• 5-10 % chances of revision rhinoplasty

It is possible for you to get dissatisfied or unhappy about the results, even if it is the best you can have. Over-expectation or a false belief that the surgery is going to change your personal, social, or professional life are two key reasons. You need to talk to your surgeon beforehand to have an idea of the possible results you can have. If your surgeon shows you by ways of photographs about the changes made, you will be better off accepting it