Rhinoplasty Sydney
A rhinoplasty procedure involves changing the shape and size of your nose to improve appearance and enhance facial harmony.
As the central feature of your face, your nose is of particular importance. Any doctor working on your nose should possess a specialist understanding of facial anatomy and as well as cultural knowledge and sensitivity. Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Dona brings his expert knowledge to the art and science of the intricacies of rhinoplasty. He strives to achieve natural-looking results that complement your face.
In an operation where millimeters can make a dramatic difference to the final result, you can trust your most visible and defining facial feature to Sydney plastic surgeon, Dr Eddy Dona.
Dr Eddy Dona understands the cultural significance that the nose often has and has expertise in managing the intricacies of such noses.
Dr Dona’s Rhinoplasty eBook – The Gold Standard in patient education
– Patient Case Studies
– Real Surgery Videos
Rhinoplasty Sydney Procedure videos
YOUR RHINOPLASTY CONSULTATION WITH DR DONA
Your first visit will allow you to discuss exactly what you wish to change about your nose and expectations on the final result. Dr Eddy Dona will perform a complete evaluation of your face and nose and discuss an individualised plan to achieve your goals…… enhancing your nose and facial beauty.
Dr Dona may request a CT scan to investigate the bony structure of your nose and internal nasal airways if you have any problems with your nasal breathing or a history of nasal trauma.
BENEFITS OF RHINOPLASTY SURGERY
Your nose can be surgically altered to:
- Increase or decrease the size 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
- Improve a poor relationship between the nose and upper lip
- Improve breathing
- Correct complicated nasal problems
Rhinoplasty is also used to correct any birth deformity or damage due to injury.
PREPARATION FOR SURGERY
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 it increases surgical and anesthetic risks and can lead to serious complications.
RHINOPLASTY INCISION LOCATION
The operation is performed with most incisions inside the nose. Sometimes there will 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”. An open rhinoplasty allows for more access to the underlying structures of the nose, patients experiencing breathing difficulties are more likely to require an open rhinoplasty. Ultimately any external incisions will result in a very inconspicuous scar.
RHINOPLASTY SURGICAL TECHNIQUES
The techniques used to reshape the nose will be discussed in your evaluation based on the desired outcome you would like to achieve. A multitude of different surgical procedures can be undertaken depending on what is required.
Through the small incisions described previously, work is done on the cartilage and bone that form the structural framework of your nose.
In complicated cases, the surgery may also require the use of cartilage grafts taken from your nasal septum, ear or ribs.
Ultimately, the techniques used will depend on the problems that need correcting. Dr Dona will outline the surgical steps required to achieve your goals.
SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS
Chin augmentation
Sometimes, to help enhance facial harmony, a chin augmentation or reshaping may be required. This can be undertaken at the same time of a rhinoplasty.
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.
NON-SURGICAL RHINOPLASTY
Non-surgical rhinoplasty replaces the scalpel with a needle, by injecting small amounts of dermal filler to soften, 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 easily treatable – slightly building up the indentation or smoothing out any deviations, you can reshape the nose to a cosmetically appealing shape.
We use only the highest quality Fillers to 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 effectively very little down time. You may experience some minor swelling and bruising on and around the treated area. Following your procedure, you can apply makeup to the treated area to conceal bruising and we will recommend the best types of make-up to use.
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 most 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 with Dr Dona. 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 subsides. It may be difficult to breathe through the nose initially but 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 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.
WHEN CAN YOU EXPECT THE 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 not considered nor performed until at least twelve months after the original surgery
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS?
Whenever someone is having an anaesthetic, no matter what it’s for, then things can potentially go wrong. That is why no surgery should be considered “minor”. Of course, whilst the chances of the following potential problems occurring are extremely small, you still need to know about them:
- Anaesthetic issues – which can affect heart, lungs or cause strokes
- Allergic reactions – This can be very mild to life threatening.
- Clots
- Superficial vein clots, which is a complication of the cannula or drip that’s placed in your vein
- Deep vein clots – these can potentially spread to the lung and be life threatening. We do several things during surgery and after surgery whilst you’re in hospital to minimise the risk of you developing these.
- Wound problems – such as infection and breakdown
- Bleeding – early or late
- Death – whilst the chances of this is exceeding rare, any of the previous issues can result in this devastating complication.
All these potential problems are standard for any operation, although some operations and some patients have an increased risk of developing them.
Specific 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. The end result is that many patients will experience that their nasal breathing is reduced and this may be a concern to them.
- 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%)
WILL PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE 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. If you think you may be eligible for part of your fees to be covered by either Medicare or health insurance, you will need to obtain a referral from your GP to see Dr Dona for your initial rhinoplasty consultation.
Learn more about our procedures or schedule a one-on-one consultation at our Sydney clinic
Call us 1300 DR DONA (1300 37 3662)