6 Weeks Post Dorsal Preservation Rhinoplasty (Low Septal Strip, SPQR).
How Long Does Rhinoplasty Take?
A rhinoplasty is usually a day-case procedure. This means that you can normally go home the same day as the operation. The surgery is performed as a general anaesthetic which means that you are fully asleep. The operation can take anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on the complexity of the issues being addressed during surgery.
Can Rhinoplasty Change Your Face?
How much a face changes and from what angle depends on the extent of changes that are made to the nose during rhinoplasty.
The most dramatic change that is seen is from the profile view when a dorsal bump is reduced. On the frontal view, a reduction in tip size and the position of the tip are the most frequent changes that are appreciated.
Overall, a good rhinoplasty result is when a nose that was once a prominent feature of the face before surgery, becomes less noticeable.
Thick Skin And Rhinoplasty
A large, bulbous, or boxy tip is a frequent problem that patients wish to have addressed with a rhinoplasty.
The shape of the nasal tip is determined by several factors. These include skin, subcutaneous tissue, and nasal cartilages.
During surgery, a rhinoplasty reshapes and re-orientates the nasal tip cartilages to improve the size of the nasal tip. In patients with thick skin, the amount of tip reduction and definition are not as dramatic because the skin thickness hides the changes that are made to the underlying framework.
During surgery, other manoeuvres can be performed to achieve better tip shape and definition. This includes surgically thinning the skin and by adding cartilage grafts to the tip. This adds another degree of complexity to the surgery.
Moreover, patients with thick skin swell more post-operatively, and the swelling takes longer to resolve. Sometimes, steroid injections into the tip are needed after the procedure to help reduce swelling.
In summary, patients with thick skin have to bear in mind that the amount of definition and reduction achievable is not as much as thin skinned patients. Also, it may take longer for the swelling to improve. Having realistic expectations of what surgery can achieve is really important in patients with thick skin. The aim of the surgery is to bring about an improvement and not completely eliminate the large tip.
How Long Does Recovery Take After Rhinoplasty?
Most patients are feeling nearly back to normal after 1 week. However, the swelling and bruising are at their highest at this point. By 2 weeks the bruising has nearly resolved. By 6 weeks approximately 70% of the swelling has resolved. The last 30% of the swelling can take upto 18 months.
In practical terms most patients are ready to go back to work after 1 to 2 weeks depending on their job. Most people are looking great for events and parties by 6 weeks.
