Frequently Asked Questions about Rhinoplasty
What are the most common causes of the respiratory tract obstruction and how are they treated?
- An enlarged inferior turbinate can be treated with cauterization or turbinectomy.
- A deviated septum is treated with septoplasty.
- A collapse on inspiration of the half dome due to lack of cartilage support is treated with cartilage spacer grafts.
- Intranasal healing may require skin grafts or z-plasty.
- A narrow nasal tip with alar cartilages collapse is treated with cartilage grafts.
What is a saddle deformity and how is it treated?
A saddle deformity, congenital or traumatic, is a too low back. If moderated it is corrected with grafted cartilage (septal or ear) and if it is intense it requires bone and / or cartilage (of a rib, cranial bone) graft.
How long should expected for a secondary rhinoplasty (operate the nose for a second time)?
Most surgeons agree that should not be performed secondary rhinoplasty before a year after the first intervention.
What preoperative posture accentuates the defects of the nose in a photograph?
The lateral profile with the patient smiling accentuates the hump of the nasal dorsum, the length of the nose and inadequate projection of the nasal tip.
How are wide nostrils narrowed?
La forma general de la base de la nariz es un triángulo isósceles. Para corregir la amplia abertura de algunos orificios nasales se realiza una resección en cuña de la base de la nariz en su unión con el labio a ambos lados dejando las cicatrices escondidas en el pliegue que se forma a este nivel.
What are the appropriate measures in the nasolabial angle?
The angle formed between the nose and upper lip is greater in women (about 105 degrees) than in men (about 95 degrees). These measures should be considered when treating nasal tip in a rhinoplasty, without increasing the angle in men for not giving a “feminine” look to their nose.
What is an open roof and how is it corrected?
The open roof is a flat nasal dorsum following the resection of the dorsal hump in rhinoplasty. It is corrected by bilateral fracture of the nasal bones to approach them on the midline and to close the roof. These maneuvers are called osteotomies and are performed in all rhinoplasties in which you have to dry the hump of the nasal dorsum. So after the surgery the patient will wear a splint on the back while the bone heals.