What Happens to the Bone and Cartilage in Rhinoplasty?
The shape of the nose is modified by changing the bone or cartilage in rhinoplasty. This surgery, which is also referred to as a nose job colloquially, is used to shorten or extend the length of the nose, increase or reduce its width and generally give it a shape desired by the patient. The person undergoing the surgery may give a broad idea of what they want and the surgeon will make recommendations based on the skin type and the facial shape of the client. The desired effect may require a modification to the bone, which is the upper part of the nose, or the cartilage, which is the lower part of the nose, or to both.
Rhinoplasty is mostly cosmetic in that a person may want to alter the appearance of their face and may believe that the nose modification will help. They may like the idea of changing the angle of the nose or of reducing the distance between the nose and the lips or may even want to straighten their nose if there is crookedness there. Sometimes the surgery may be necessitated by an accident or injury and sometimes it may be an elective procedure. There are occasions when rhinoplasty is necessary to rectify breathing difficulties or to rectify some birth defect.
Rhinoplasty is relatively straight-forward and chosen by many to add a boost of confidence. It is, however, important to know the risks of the procedure before making a choice. Since it is a surgery, the usual attendant risks such as excessive bleeding, reaction to anesthesia and post-operative infection are likely in this case also. It is important to exercise care and to ensure that all proper precautions are taken to avoid any of these scenarios. There are a few other possible negative results of this nose surgery. There are patients who suffer from repeated nose bleeds and some others who lose sensation in the region. Scarring and difficulty in breathing are also legitimate concerns. Some patients have a prolonged period of swelling and discoloration accompanied by bouts of pain. There is also the very real possibility that the surgery does not produce the desired outcome. It is best if a surgeon and patient talk these things over before the procedure to have a clear understanding of all the possible end results. A candid conversation will set the tone to handle this situation appropriately.
In preparing for rhinoplasty, this conversation is a much needed early step. Other important preparatory steps include a complete physical examination and a detailed discussion of medical history with the surgeon. These two will help the doctor assess whether a patient is a good candidate for the surgery. After the decision is made to move forward, the doctor is likely to advice the patient to quit smoking and may even have to recommend discontinuing some medications a couple of days prior to the surgery.
The bone and cartilage in rhinoplasty are operated on inside the nose. The surgeon makes the incisions for the surgery inside the nostrils and removes or augments the bone and cartilage from these incisions. The surgeon may use cartilage from high up the nose if there is need to add more. Bone grafting and implants are also used in some cases. The exact procedure will depend very much on what the doctor and patient decide together.
It is important to plan for rhinoplasty with the awareness that anesthesia is involved and even if it is an outpatient procedure somebody should accompany the patient for driving him or her back home. It is also a good idea to have a companion for the first 24 hours after the surgery to avoid any accidents. This is fairly typical advice for most surgical procedures and the point is to remember it for rhinoplasty also. The frequent references in movies and TV shows to nose jobs has made this surgery seem like a very every day procedure and there is the danger of taking it too lightly and this is to be avoided at all costs.