Am I Able To Have Rhinoplasty At 18 Years Old?
This question or a variation thereof is commonly asked in online rhinoplasty forums. The answer is that I frequently perform rhinoplasty on female patients 17-18 years of age. In fact, I have done rhinoplasty on a female patient here in San Diego who was 15 years old (although there were extenuating circumstances). Females in this age range have typically reached a plateau in terms of their nasal shape and size. Males usually take a little... Continue Reading
Revision Rhinoplasty To Create A More Feminine Profile View
This revision rhinoplasty patient was recently in the office for a follow-up evaluation and was a great example of how to create a more pleasing, feminine profile view. She had surgery by a plastic surgeon in the Beverly Hills area and was unsatisfied with her original outcome. She then sought consultation with our office for a formal revision rhinoplasty. She was mostly displeased with her profile view, especially the tip to bridge transition. In addition,... Continue Reading
Lengthening The Short Nose in Rhinoplasty
Perhaps one of the most difficult procedures to perform in the world of rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty is lengthening the short nose. By 'short nose' I am referring to a nose that is overly rotated or turned up. In rare cases a short nose can be congenital, meaning it is simply the result of one's genetics. In a majority of cases, however, the short nose is something that is the result of prior rhinoplasty surgery... Continue Reading
Rhinoplasty Incision Care
As part of my normal preoperative consultation for planned rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty I will to to emphasize the importance of taking care of the incision line following surgery. I thought I would post a quick blog entry regarding this since, as they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. Here is a link to my post rhinoplasty instruction guidelines to familiarize yourself with my recommended routine. It is a three step process that includes... Continue Reading
Rhinoplasty Fascia Grafting
I happen to perform fascia grafting as part of rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty on a fairly regular basis. I do this type of grafting mostly in rhinoplasty patients with thin skin. In this patient population, anything done to reshape the nose can cause unwanted visible contour irregularities post-operatively because thin skin has a tendency to rapidly shrink wrap down to the new shape. In order to minimize risks of visible contour irregularities after rhinoplasty or... Continue Reading
Nasal Base Reduction in Ethnic Rhinoplasty
My practice happens to see quite a variety of ethnic rhinoplasty patients on a regular basis. I would say that the two most common issues I see in ethnic rhinoplasty patients are insufficient bridge height and excessively wide nostrils. These particular case example of ethnic rhinoplasty highlights the latter issue - an excessively wide nasal base in an African American female patient seeking rhinoplasty. In this particular case, this patient required nasal base reduction as... Continue Reading
Appearance of Ear After Rhinoplasty With Auricular Grafting
Rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty patients commonly ask what their ear is going to look like following nasal reshaping procedures where a portion of the ear is used for grafting purposes. In my practice, which emphasizes rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty, ear cartilage grafting, or auricular cartilage grafting, is done on a routine basis. The cartilage is taken from the ear and used to help reconstruct and reshape the nose in cases where the existing cartilage of... Continue Reading
Three Weeks Post Rhinoplasty – Nose Looks Wider Than Previously
"I had a rhinoplasty procedure nearly 3 weeks ago and now my nose looks wider than it did preoperatively. Is this normal or should I be worried?" This question or a variation of this question is often asked on online rhinoplasty forums. The reality is that many rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty patients can appear wider at 3 weeks out than they did before surgery. This can be especially noted if grafting was performed as part... Continue Reading
Male, Ethnic Revision Open Rhinoplasty Case Example
This patient was recently seen in the office for follow-up evaluation after a revision open rhinoplasty procedure that I performed. I thought he was a good case example to discuss some of the nuances of bridge and tip reshaping in a male, ethnic revision rhinoplasty patient. This patient was originally operated on in the military several years ago where he had his tip and bridge reshaped. Unfortunately, he developed postoperative loss of his tip projection.... Continue Reading
Alar Base Reduction Following Rhinoplasty
Many patients online have inquired about whether or not they can undergo alar base reduction (narrowing) following rhinoplasty. The answer is - yes. In many cases of rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty, patients can benefit from having the base of the nose narrowed at the same time other areas of the nose are being reshaped. There are cases, however, when narrowing the alar base is considered a borderline decision. In these types of rhinoplasty and revision... Continue Reading
Columella Scar Following Rhinoplasty
Many rhinoplasty candidates inquire about the appearance of the columella scar following an open rhinoplasty approach. As I tell most patients considering an open rhinoplasty, the scar generally heals quite nicely with minimal visibility. In fact, we intentionally create a geometrically broken line incision so that we fool the naked eye when it comes to visualization. The incision is also strategically placed under the nose, across the columella that divides the two nostrils. So even... Continue Reading
