Factors That Influence Rhinoplasty

When a person is considering rhinoplasty, he or she is usually encouraged to ask a lot of questions, to take a closer look at his or her health, and to evaluate the reasons he or she wants the surgery. While getting the full story on rhinoplasty and gauging your emotional response to the idea of surgery before deciding whether or not to go through with it is important, there are a number of other factors that determine whether the surgery is right for you or what type of rhinoplasty is best for you.

The Patient’s Age

Your age plays an important role when it comes to deciding if rhinoplasty is the right option for you or not. The biggest thing that age influences is whether or not  your nose has finished  growing. For the  most part, surgeons won’t perform nasal surgery on young people whose noses are still growing, as any additional growth after the surgery can reverse or otherwise change the results. If you’re too young at the moment, your surgeon will recommend waiting until your nose has had a chance to finish growing, which usually happens by age 15 or 16.

At the other end of the spectrum, age can also influence whether or not rhinoplasty is right for you. If you’re older and have a number of age-related health problems, your surgeon might advise against surgery. It’s worth noting, though, that everyone is different in this regard. A 70-year-old person might be in better health than a 45-year-old, for example.

The Patient’s Skin

The thickness or thinness of your skin plays some part in determining the final results of rhinoplasty or the type of results your surgeon can achieve. If a patient has thicker skin in the nose area, getting a lot of definition can be more of a challenge, since the thickness of the skin can cover up any sculpting a surgeon does. Thinner skin will show refinements and definition better, but there’s also a chance that any grafts used will be visible beneath the skin or that any asymmetry will be clearly visible.

Your skin type determines what a surgeon can or can’t during rhinoplasty or what changes to the nose will look natural.  Since everyone’s skin is slightly different, working with an experienced surgeon who understands the subtle differences in technique required based on skin thickness is incredibly important.

The Patient’s Ethnic Identity

Your ethnic identity can also influence the changes a surgeon makes or can make to your nose during a rhinoplasty procedure. Nose shapes and sizes vary across ethnic groups. For example, there are 14 different types of Caucasian nose shape. Generally, Latin people tend to have one of three different types of nose, depending on their heritage. The African-American nose tends to be wider at the base, tends to have  a lower bridge, and tends to have a less well-defined tip.

While some patients might wish to have rhinoplasty to wide out or conceal any ethnic features they  have, the majority seek out the surgery to complement or retain many of those features. For example, a surgeon performing rhinoplasty on an African-American patient shouldn’t be attempting to shape the patient’s nose so that it takes on the features of one of the 14 Caucasian nose types. Instead, he should work with the nose, making adjustments to it so that the patient maintains his or her identity and so that the nose flatters the rest of the features on a patient’s face.

The Patient’s Nose

It might seem obvious, but the patient’s nose itself determines what a surgeon can or can’t do or will or won’t do during surgery. Plenty of people feel that their nose is too large and decide to have surgery to reduce its size. Others believe their nose is too small and seek out surgery to enlarge it so that it is a better fit for their faces.

Physical appearance isn’t the only reason for rhinoplasty, though. While some people might want the surgery for purely cosmetic reasons, a fair number of others will benefit from having rhinoplasty to correct a breathing problem or to correct a deformity or injury.

During a consultation with an experienced, board certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty, you’ll discuss what you hope to get from the surgery and other other concerns. The surgeon will evaluate your skin type and your health and let you know what he can do to help you get a nose that’s in line with your expectations.

With practices in Miami and New York City, Dr. Jeffrey Epstein performs around five rhinoplasty surgeries each week. To learn what options are best for your nose, schedule a consultation with Dr. Epstein today. To reach the office in New York, call (212) 759-3484. For an appointment in Miami, call (305) 666-5884 today.