Rhinoplasty

At your initial rhinoplasty consultation, your surgeon will go through any pre-operative advice with you which will include eating well, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol and avoiding aspirin and blood-thinning medication.
You will not be allowed food for 6 hours and water for 2 hours prior to your operation. You may choose to take Arnica tablets to reduce any bruising following your nose surgery. If you have any other questions or concerns then you will be able to address them during your consultation.

No, there is virtually no pain following surgery. There may be some level of uncomfortableness following the procedure, but there won’t be any pain. Many patients do not require analgesia.

Once you arrive at the clinic for your nose reshaping surgery, you will be taken downstairs by our friendly nurses to be prepped for surgery and meet the anaesthetist. You will also have another chat with the surgeon, as this is the final point when the surgeon needs to know exactly what you require. Once you have had your operation, you will recuperate in our recovery room and when you have eaten a few hours later and you are ready, your surgeon will discharge you with some post-operative advice. A friend or relative is able to collect you and take you home. Before leaving the clinic our nursing staff will ensure you have everything you need including a post-operative appointment time and they are likely to give you some spare gauze to keep under the nostrils to catch any drips.

Rhinoplasty is one of our most popular treatments at Cadogan Clinic, and any risks associated with nose reshaping are the same as with any other surgical procedure that involves a general anaesthetic. Any specific risks will be discussed by your surgeon who will explain the nose surgery process in detail and answer your specific concerns.

Some possible risks can include:

+ Anesthesia risks, as with any surgery there are risks with using anesthesia.
+ Infection
+ Poor wound healing or scarring
+ Change in skin sensation; possible numbness or pain
+ Nasal septal perforation (a hole in the nasal septum). However keep in mind that this is very rare. Additional surgical treatment may be necessary to repair the septum but it may be impossible to correct this complication
+ Difficulty breathing
+ Unsatisfactory nasal appearance
+ Skin discoloration and swelling
+ Possibility of revisional surgery

The best way to avoid risks with surgery is to follow the proper aftercare instructions given to you by your surgeon. Many of these risks are rare.

As always with cosmetic surgery, it is essential that the surgeon, not only understands exactly what you are looking for, and can deliver it, but psychologically it is necessary to be as certain as one can be that this desired result actually satisfies the patient.

We usually recommend our rhinoplasty patients to take at least one week off work, as you will be wearing a splint for up to ten days. There is no reason however, why you should not be working from home. There may be some bleeding from the nostrils overnight or for longer if the septum or turbinate's have required treatment. You are likely to have some swelling and bruising below the eyes, if the nasal bones have been fractured. This is completely normal and will subside within the ten days. We also tell patients to avoid strenuous exercise for at least two weeks following the operation.

There are two parts to this answer. How long does it take to resume full normal activities and how long does it take for the nose to reach its final state? There is a huge time difference between the two. There is also individual variation.

Patients are usually surprised that the operation is virtually painless. We use Total IntraVenous Anaesthesia (TIVA) and therefore you wake up quickly from the operation and will not feel sick. You will be ready to go home within an hour or two. Expect some bleeding from the nostrils and you will find a gauze dressing strapped under the nose. This will be changed as necessary by the nurse whilst you are in the hospital and by yourself at home.

The bleeding usually stops by the next morning and be replaced by a clear ooze which tends to coagulate around the nostrils and internal sutures. Just keep this clear on the outside with tap water. The inside is unimportant. The nurse will deal with this when you come back at a week. The internal sutures dissolve on their own, but she will remove any skin sutures at the same time.

There is often bruising around the eyes. It is not painful. It appears quickly after surgery but settles equally quickly. The last remnants under the eyes go by 10 days.

Most patients, where the bones are fractured, will have a plastic or plaster of Paris splint over the nose, which is removed in 7 to 10 days. This is the moment of revelation. However, the nose is not how it will finally end up. It will be swollen and without definition. The tip, in particular, may at this stage appear unchanged. The actual final shape will take 6 to 12 months to settle. You will get some idea when this is, when the skin feels normal and all stiffness has gone. You need to be patient.

You are not ill after surgery, just a little bruised with a splint. You should not exercise for a couple of weeks, but you can do most other things if you don’t mind people seeing you. It is the same splint for a broken nose, and this would be the obvious white lie to explain it.

More commonly known as a 'nose job', rhinoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures worldwide. Your nose is one of the first things a stranger will notice about your face, so if you are unhappy with the size or shape of it, or feel as though it is crooked then you could benefit from nose surgery. Some individuals choose to undergo rhinoplasty, rhino-tip surgery or septo-rhinoplasty (correction of a deviated septum) for medical reasons to improve breathing difficulties.