What does a Rhinoplasty procedure involve?

A rhinoplasty can be done closed or open. What that means is incisions solely inside your nose (closed) or on the front which is well hidden and inside the nose (open). The use of closed or open depends on the surgeon and what needs to be done to the nose. What is done during the procedure depends on what you and your surgeon decide ahead of time needs to be done to your nose. It ranges from taking down a hump on the bone, narrowing the bones, opening up the middle part of your nose with cartilage grafts, fixing the tip, shortening the nose, narrowing the nostrils and helping breathing by removing a portion of the septum to name a few.

Why does it take a full year to see final rhinoplasty results?

The nose swells a lot. All of the work is done in an enclosed space and this area has a propensity to swell and take a while to go down.

Are there any age restrictions for undergoing rhinoplasty?

I like to wait until the patient is done growing; especially if a septoplasty is to be done. That being said, however, I do rhinoplasties on many teenagers. I typically consider a patient a surgical candidate around 15-16 years old.

How long can I expect the results to last?

The results should last forever. What I do tell/caution my patients about is that the nose remains swollen for a very long time."Final" results should not be evident for at least nine months. What that means is; you will see a difference immediately, but don't judge the final result for at least nine months.

How long does it take to recover from rhinoplasty?

You will be tired the day after. I typically either put a splint or tapes across the nose for 7-10 days. If any work was done on your septum, I put packing in for 5-7 days. If your bones are not broken, the bruising should not be bad. You will be swollen for the first 7 days, but people who are motivated go back to work as soon as 3 days or wait for the tape/splint to be removed in 7-10 days.