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Rhinoplasty

  
What is Rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty is performed to reduce the overall size of the nose, reshape a tip, remove a hump, or improve a poor angle between the nose and upper lip
Before Surgery 5 Days After Surgery
 
Preparation

Patients are advised to take zinc and magnesium for at least one month before the operation to aid the healing process. Aspirin interferes with blood clotting and must not be taken two weeks prior to the operation (many painkillers contain aspirin). Smokers should stop smoking 2 weeks before and for at least a week after the operation.

What happens during Rhinoplasty?

Most nose reshaping procedures are carried out by incisions inside the nose itself, so that there are no external scars. With the patient under local anaesthesia, (general anaesthetic is an option and costs £100 more), an incision is usually made inside the nostrils and the skin is lifted of the skeleton of the nose. This provides the surgeon with access to the cartilage and bone that make up the structure of the nose. The cartilage and the bone are trimmed or manipulated to reshape the nose and alter its appearance.

When the size of flare of the nostrils needs to be reduced, small external incisions are necessary, but with time the resulting scars are usually inconspicuous. The tip of the nose can be thinned by removing a small portion of the cartilage on each side. Long noses are shortened by removing some of the midline cartilage called septum. If the nose has a bump or is too wide or misshapen, the underlying bone and cartilage need to be modified. This almost always produces post-operative swelling and discoloration of the nose and eyes.

Aftercare

After the operation you will be seen by the surgeon and our medical staff every day for 4 days. The minimum length of stay in Poland is 7 days.

The patient is advised to sleep with the head elevated for several weeks to help reduce swelling. The swelling may cause breathing difficulties during the early recovery period.

Light gauze packing may be put inside the nose to help control bleeding and an external tape dressing is applied. At the end of the procedure, a splint composed of tape and a plastic or plaster overlay is applied to the nose to maintain the bone and cartilage in the new shape.

When the initial bandages are removed, there is still significant swelling and the patient may feel very disappointed with the result. The black eyes that almost always occur are usually gone in about 10 days. After about 2 weeks usually 90% of the swelling has subsided but the remaining swelling can last 6 months or more. Exposure to the sun must be avoided for at lest 6 months to prevent increased pigmentation of the nasal skin.

Remember to keep taking vitamins everyday, especially Vitamin C, to promote healing. Some pain is usual after the operation, but it is controllable by simple painkillers.