What to Expect After Rhinoplasty Surgery

November 26th, 2010 Posted in Rhinoplasty
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After your nose revision surgery (or rhinoplasty surgery), you will be sent to the recovery area and later you will go home.  Most people go home the same day.  You will have a splint in place over your nose, and your nose may feel tender and bruised.  Bruising around the nose and under the eyes is common after rhinoplasty surgery. 

When you arrive in the recovery room, it may feel as if you can’t breathe through your nose.  Your nose may have packing in it.  To make sure that you are receiving enough air, you may have a monitor on your finger recording your oxygen levels.  Your mouth may become very dry from breathing through your mouth during this time.  There may also be some drainage that gives you a funny taste in your mouth.  You may brush your teeth as often as needed to help with this funny taste or swish and swallow water or mouth wash to help.

You may also have an ice pack or cold compress on your face and nose.  This will help decrease the swelling associated with the surgery.  You should use this compress as directed, and continue to use it at home for the first week or two weeks after surgery.

You will wear a splint after surgery for one to two weeks.  Do not remove the splint unless instructed to do so, and do not blow your nose.  You may feel ‘stuffy’ after rhinoplasty surgery.  Talk to your surgeon is this becomes severe, as he can help you with some medications.  It may take several weeks for the majority of the swelling to go down, but then the ‘new nose’ can make its public appearance!

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Smoking and Facelift Surgery

November 26th, 2010 Posted in Facelifts
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If you have decided to have a facelift, one of the most important things you can do for yourself during this time is to stop smoking.  Smoking has serious health consequences, and can also cause serious problems with your recovery from facelift surgery.

If you smoke, you must not smoke for a minimum of one month before and one month after the surgery.   Many reputable facial cosmetic surgeons ask for an even longer commitment of not smoking.  Smoking not only is bad for your body, it also slows the healing process after surgery.  Stopping smoking will also help during the surgical procedure and with the anesthesia. 

You should be aware that smoking immediately before or after a facelift may cause considerable damage to your face, including skin necrosis.  This is because smoking causes changes in the vascular system of the skin.  Skin necrosis is when your skin will turn black and die.  During skin necrosis, the incision lines become red and then black.  Incisions separate, and infection may set in.  The only treatment for skin necrosis is a skin graft.  A skin graft requires extensive surgeries and repeated consultations with a qualified surgeon.  One in ten smokers will suffer from skin necrosis at the incision lines if they are still smoking before and after surgery.

If you want to have facial plastic surgery, always contact a reputable cosmetic surgeon and follow their instructions exactly.  Be honest with your physician about your smoking history so he or she can best advise you.

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Are You a Good Candidate for Rhinoplasty?

November 26th, 2010 Posted in Rhinoplasty
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Rhinoplasty surgery is nose reshaping.  It is designed for noses that are too wide, too small, have bumps, or are otherwise in need of reshaping.  Rhinoplasty surgery can also change the tip of the nose, and correct congenital defects in the nares and nose itself.  Rhinoplasty surgery can also be used to help correct breathing problems after an injury.  In some cases, rhinoplasty surgery is covered by health care insurance.

Rhinoplasty surgery takes about one to two hours, and is generally performed in an outpatient setting.  Individuals who are good candidates for rhinoplasty surgery include people who simply don’t like the appearance of their noses, or who have problems breathing because of the shape and size of their nose. 

One of the most important things to remember about rhinoplasty is that the nose can be reshaped, and add a sense of balance to the face that was missing before.  However, no nose is ‘perfect’.  The best corrections are those that allow some personality to shine through so that the individual continues to be individualized! 

Rhinoplasty is designed to improve deformities of the nose, but cannot improve the entire appearance of the face.  For this reason, people who seem to do best with rhinoplasty surgery are those that have reasonable expectations and have a good general outlook on life.  Teenagers should be finished growing before any type of corrective surgery is performed. 

Rhinoplasty surgery can be paired with other facial cosmetic procedures to provide improvement to more than one area.  If this is an option that you are interested in exploring, be sure to discuss it with your plastic surgeon prior to your procedure.

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Preparing for Facelift Surgery

November 26th, 2010 Posted in Facelifts
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You have decided to have a facelift.  You have discussed the options with your professional facial plastic surgeon, weighed the pros and cons, and have decided that facelift surgery is the best option for you.  How do you best prepare?

Facelift surgery is a major surgical procedure that lasts 2-4 hours.  It is generally performed as an outpatient.  When you leave surgery, a white fluffy dressing is usually in place.  This dressing is generally removed by the surgeon within a few hours to one day, and replaced with an elastic type bandage.  Drains are often in place to help minimize swelling and edema associated with the surgery.  You will likely have some discoloration of your face (you may have some bruising) that can last up to one to two weeks.  You should plan on taking some time off of work during this period.

About two weeks before facelift surgery you should schedule a pre-operative appointment with your surgeon and his assistant.  At this time, review any medications you may be taking.  This includes any medicines that may be over the counter or any herbal or alternative medication products you currently use.  You may be advised to stop some of these medications, and your surgeon may wish to discuss alternatives of other medicines.  Never be embarrassed to share with your surgeon any medications you are taking.  Your surgeon may also prescribe some new medications for you to take, or add in some herbal supplements to aid in healing. 

Most importantly, stop smoking.  For some of the dangers associated with smoking and cosmetic surgery, see our article on this topic.  Trust your surgeon, and get ready for a new you!

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