Rhinoplasty Sydney

RHINOPLASTY CONSULTATION WITH DR DONA IN SYDNEY

Your first visit to our clinic in Bella Vista, Sydney, will allow you to discuss exactly what you wish to change about your nose and your expectations regarding your final result. Dr Eddy Dona will perform a complete evaluation of your face and nose and discuss an individualised surgical plan.

Dr Dona may request a CT scan to investigate the bone and other structures of your nose. The CT scan (or other imaging), may include the investigation of your internal nasal airways – this is performed as a result of any nasal breathing issues you may have or if you have a history of nasal trauma.

BENEFITS OF RHINOPLASTY SURGERY

Rhinoplasty surgery can potentially:

• Increase or decrease the size and width of the nose
• Change the shape of the tip
• Change the shape of the bridge
• Increase or decrease the span of the nostrils
• Remove a hump
• Improve symmetry

PREPARING FOR RHINOPLASTY SURGERY IN SYDNEY

You will be required to disclose your complete medical history, including any current or prior health problems. You will be given the opportunity to discuss your medical history and any concerns during your initial consultation and you will be asked to disclose all relevant details in your Patient Registration Form.

Do not take any blood thinning medications (e.g., aspirin or any medication containing aspirin), large quantities of vitamins or anti-inflammatory drugs for two weeks prior to any surgery.

You should cease smoking for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery, as smoking significantly may increase the surgical and anesthetic risks, which has potentially lead to serious complications.

WHAT IS A SURGICAL RHINOPLASTY?

Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure that involves making incisions on the inside and sometimes outside of the nose to reshape the nose.

During a Rhinoplasty procedure, the skin, bone, cartilage or all three can be altered, and the surgical techniques used during your Rhinoplasty surgery will be dependent on the areas of the nose requiring to be altered to achieve your preferred aesthetic outcome.

RHINOPLASTY INCISION LOCATION

The operation is performed with most incisions inside the nose. There will also be an additional incision in the narrow strip of skin between the nostrils called the columella. When this is performed, it is referred to as an “open Rhinoplasty”. Ultimately any external incisions typically result in a very inconspicuous scar. This incision allows for an unobstructed view of the inside of the nose and provides the greatest amount of flexibility to reshape the nose.

NON-SURGICAL RHINOPLASTY

Non-surgical Rhinoplasty replaces the scalpel with a needle by injecting small amounts of semi-permanent dermal filler to conceal the dosal hump, improve the shape and even straighten an individual’s nose, without resorting to invasive surgery.

Not many people are aware that the majority of minor “bumps” on the nose are non-surgically treatable – slightly building up the indentation or smoothing out any deviations, you can reshape the nose.

The right choice of Fillers can achieve long-lasting results. The most popular and effective fillers are based on hyaluronic acid, which are naturally occurring complex sugar molecules that bind with water to support your skin and increase volume in selected areas.

Non-Surgical Rhinoplasties are performed in our clinic, as a walk-in walk-out procedure with very little downtime. You may experience minor swelling and bruising on and around the treated area.

Following your procedure, you can apply makeup to the treated area to conceal bruising, we will recommend the best types of makeup to use.

Go to our dedicated Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty page to LEARN MORE.

RHINOPLASTY IN TEENAGERS

It is recommended that teenagers wait until their growth spurt is complete and the bones in their face are mature before undergoing the surgery. The age varies between genders and particularly if any trauma to the nose has occurred. It is important to take into consideration a teenager’s social and emotional adjustment as well as any third-party pressure.

Parental guidance is endorsed to ensure that the teenager has sufficient reason and maturity to decide the surgery is necessary.

RHINOPLASTY COMPLIMENTARY PROCEDURES

NON-SURGICAL CHIN AUGMENTATION

Sometimes, to help enhance facial harmony, non-surgical chin augmentation or reshaping may be required. Filler is injected into the chin area, which has the effect of adding projection and ‘dropping’ the chin which also helps to conceal the double chin. The ‘new’ chin will add projection and therefore better facial harmony, and to thin and lengthen your face.

Topical anaesthetic gel will be applied to alleviate any discomfort. Most individuals are surprised to experience very little discomfort – this is procedure is a walk-in walk-out carried-out in clinic.

All treatments carries potential risks. LEARN MORE

RHINOPLASTY RECOVERY TIMELINE

Following surgery, you will awake in the recovery room with ice-cold wet gauze covering your eyes to help control any swelling and bruising. You may be able to go home the same day of surgery, but some patients go home the following day. The first night you should aim to sleep with the head of your bed elevated and continue with ice-cold wet gauze to cover the eyes.

You will have a splint placed on your nose at the end of the operation, which is usually removed the following week during your follow-up visit. Occasionally, some packing is placed in your nose at the end of your operation. This is usually removed before leaving the hospital, although it may remain in place until your first post-operative clinic appointment.

Pain relief will be prescribed if required. You are not permitted to drive while you are taking prescription pain relief or sedatives.

The nose and the area around the eyes will be swollen and bruised, sometimes resulting in “black eyes”. The amount of swelling and bruising often increases in the first two to three days and then starts to subside. It may be difficult to breathe through the nose initially, but this will improve as swelling and bruising go down.

It is common to experience a little bleeding from the nose for the first few days after surgery. Do not blow your nose or put anything up your nose for the first few weeks after surgery and avoid any strenuous activities or contact sports for the first four weeks. After four weeks, you can return to normal activities.

Glasses can be worn after the splint has been removed but must not exert any weight onto the healing nose. Some patients choose to tape their glasses to their forehead to avoid putting pressure on the healing tissue in the nose. Contact lenses can be worn as soon as you feel able. Most patients will avoid going to work or socialising for the first two weeks, as they will have some bruising and bandages on their nose.

In order to ensure you achieve an optimal outcome, a number of postoperative treatment modalities can be offered to help with your healing and scar quality. This includes the use of light-based therapy treatments. Light therapy is designed to expedite the healing process, reduce pain, and optimise scar quality.

RHINOPLASTY FINAL RESULTS

The final shape of your nose will be affected by factors such as nasal bone structure, cartilage structure, the shape of the face, the thickness of the skin and age.

Most of the result is evident at approximately six weeks post-surgery; however, ongoing swelling is to be expected, and the final result is not achieved until approximately one year after surgery.

Rhinoplasty is a procedure in which the need for further surgery to improve the results is relatively high. Most experienced surgeons would estimate that this occurs in around ten to twenty per cent of cases. However, further surgery is typically not considered nor performed until at least twelve months after the original surgery.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS

As with any surgery, there are always possible risks and potential complications. Fortunately, they are few and infrequent. They may include wound infection, bleeding, chest infection, blood clots, bruising and swelling.

For general potential surgical risks visit our dedicated page. LEARN MORE

Other potential complications include, but are not limited to:

• Numbness to the nose or change in feeling that continues after the swelling has gone down
• Asymmetry of the nose
• Distortion to the nostrils
• Reduced sense of smell; loss of smell (very rare)
• Visible swelling that persists for weeks and sometimes months. Swelling is normal and typically the patient is required to tape their nose every night to control the swelling and help with shaping. This may be required for many months. Many patients benefit from having cortisone injections to the nose to help control the swelling. This is something that Dr Dona will determine during your follow-up appointments at the clinic
• Loss of structural support resulting in a flattened nose and the need for further surgery
• Perforation of the septum
  Nasal airway obstruction. The outside of the nose has been made smaller; therefore, the inside of the nasal airways has also been made smaller
• An implant (if used) may extrude
• Reddening of the nasal skin caused by increased tiny blood vessels (can be treated by laser therapy in most cases)
• Eye injury (very rare)
• Persistent pain and discomfort
• Unhappy with the results necessitating further surgery to improve the outcome (up to 20%)

DOES PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE AND/OR MEDICARE COVER RHINOPLASTY COSTS?

Most insurance plans will not pay for aesthetic nose reshaping surgery. However, if the surgery is performed due to a previous injury to the nose, or if you have problems breathing then some of the fees will be covered by Medicare and your health fund.