There are many reasons to decide to undergo a rhinoplasty. You might be unhappy with your nose’s size or shape, for one thing. The shape of your nose might have also made it difficult for you to breath or to get a good night’s sleep. Whatever your reason for having rhinoplasty, you can expect it to provide a number of benefits, from the physical to the emotional.
Improved Facial Harmony
One of the big benefits of rhinoplasty is that it can improve your appearance. Reducing the width of your nose can make it fit in better with the rest of your facial features, for example. Increasing your nose’s size can also help balance your facial features.
Along with creating a nose that is more proportional to the size of your other facial features, the surgery can also change certain aspects of the nose that you are not satisfied with. For example, many patients have the surgery to change the angle of the tip of their nose. While it varies from patient to patient, based on sex and a few other factors, generally a nasal tip that is slightly upturned is considered preferable to one that droops.
A consultation with a plastic surgeon before rhinoplasty allows you to discuss your options and what the procedure can and can’t do for your nose. Computer imaging will give you a sneak peek of what your nose will most likely look like after the surgery, so that you can see whether the procedure will benefit your facial features or not.
Nasal surgery not only improves your facial balance and harmony, it might also take a few years off your appearance. While most people don’t think of rhinoplasty as an anti-aging surgery, the nose does change as people age. The tip can become more downturned as you get older, for one thing. If the rhinoplasty improves the angle of your nose’s tip, you might end up looking a bit younger when it’s done.
Improved Nasal Function
Rhinoplasty can also have some practical benefits, particularly for patients who have had breathing problems throughout their lives or who have trouble sleeping. The surgery can be performed at the same time as septoplasty, to correct a deviated septum that might be blocking one or both nostrils. Other issues that can be corrected with nasal surgery include chronic congestion and sinus problems. The surgery can be performed to remove nasal polyps or enlarged turbinates that can interfere with air flow.
In some cases, rhinoplasty can also benefit people who have trouble sleeping, due to a condition such as sleep apnea. In order for a person with sleep apnea to benefit from the surgery, there needs to be a problem with the nasal passages that is contributing to the sleep issue, such as a blocked nasal passage. Functional rhinoplasty alone isn’t a complete cure for sleeping problems, but it can be helpful for some patients.
Improved Confidence
Some of the benefits of rhinoplasty can’t be seen, but instead are experienced or felt. Many patients who have been considering the surgery for years find that they feel a bit better about themselves afterwards. A few studies suggest that patients experience an increase in self-esteem and happiness after having the surgery.
For example, a 2013 study from the University of Pennsylvania examined 16 other studies to see how patients reported feeling after a number of surgeries. After rhinoplasty, many patients reported that they felt happier overall and that their quality of life had improved. The studies also noted that rhinoplasty patients felt happier about their image after surgery.
The chances that you’ll feel better about yourself after rhinoplasty can increase if you go into the procedure with realistic, managed expectations. Most importantly, you want to seek out the procedure to make yourself happy, not to please someone else or to try to impress others.
Working with an experienced facial plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty can also help you enjoy the several benefits of the procedure. Look for a surgeon who performs the surgery often and who uses the latest technology and techniques, so that you are more likely to get the best results.
Dr. Jeffrey Epstein performs as many as five rhinoplasties a week. His goal is to have the nose look as natural as possible. He likes to say that “a good rhinoplasty is seen in the eyes, not the nose,” which means the rest of the facial features should be complemented, while the nose looks unoperated on and in harmony with the rest of the face. He’s a double board certified plastic surgeon with more than two decades of experience. To learn more about nasal surgery, how it can help you, and if it’s the right procedure for you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Epstein today. You can reach his Miami office by calling 305-666-5884. Dr. Epstein also has a practice in Manhattan. To reach the New York office, call 212-759-3484.
Founder and Director of the