Am I Suitable for Rhinoplasty and what is the Procedure?


Cosmetic Surgery Enquiry

When answering this question you must first ask yourself one very simple question; are you happy with your nose? If the answer is yes then for you Rhinoplasty is pointless. However, if the answer is no then you must next ask yourself what you feel to be wrong with it. Is it too big, too small, too long or too wide? In doing this if you are doing two things; first you are helping your surgeon to make a decision on what operation to perform, how much to take off, and what to change; second, you are giving yourself time to think on your nose and whether you feel that it really requires Rhinoplasty. This is not to tell you that you should not have Rhinoplasty, the decision is up to you completely. However, it gives you time to think on whether it is what you really want and to make sure that you are fully ready to take the next step and see a doctor as you need to be 100% sure that you want to change your nose. This is because once the operation is done it is much harder (and far more expensive) to reverse the operation if you decide you preferred your nose as it was before. It is also important that you are aware that when you go into Rhinoplasty you are going into it looking for an improvement rather than perfection as you will never achieve it.

The Next Step

If, however, you decide that Rhinoplasty is for you the next step is to find out whether you are a suitable candidate for the procedure. This is because not everyone is suitable to have Rhinoplasty. There are three general factors that are looked at when deciding whether you are a suitable candidate for Rhinoplasty or not. The first is whether you fully understand the implications of having a Rhinoplasty; the possible risks, the full procedure, the after effects etc. This is important as without knowing fully what entails an operation you cannot make an informed decision and therefore cannot be a suitable candidate.

The second factor that is looked at before deciding whether you are suitable for Rhinoplasty is your health. This is important for two reasons; the first is that, with any operation, there is a certain level of risk involved and it is far safer for a healthy person to go under the knife (an ideal candidate would be a young adult, non-smoker who partakes in regular exercise), than for someone who is not so healthy. This, however, is not simply for Rhinoplasty but is a factor in all surgeries. The second reason health is so important is because your health will affect any possibly complications that might occur after the surgery, and also the length of time and ease of healing for your nose. Therefore, though most people are eligible with terms to health for a Rhinoplasty (because it is a safer operation than say heart surgery), it is preferred that you be healthier when you undergo the procedure.

Complications of Age

Age is a big factor in whether you can have Rhinoplasty or not. Most surgeons will not operate on anyone who is a teenager or younger (unless the operation is for health reasons such as a deviated septum), and prefer to have a minimum age of 14-15 years old for girls, and a bit older for boys. This is for two reasons; the first is the early teenage years are crucial to the growth of both boys and girls. Changing the appearance of the nose during this time may result in the nose looking worse when the child get older rather than better (and indeed any of the problems that they perceive with their nose may come to enhance their natural beauty once their face has grown into its adult shape and appearance). The second is to make sure that they are not doing it for social reasons such as peer pressure, and that it is their own decision rather than that of their parents.

What Happens Next?

Once you have seen a surgeon and they are satisfied that you are of the right age and are fully aware of what a Rhinoplasty entails, they will then refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist who will check your airways to make sure that the Rhinoplasty will not make your breathing worse as a result of the operation. If there are potential problems, or even any problems that are already there, your surgeon will normally then suggest that you work with two surgeons; the Rhinoplasty surgeon who will reshape your nose, and a second surgeon (usually an ear, nose and throat surgeon) who will make sure that your breathing is unobstructed or any other problems are fixed during the surgery.

If you are deemed to be a suitable candidate then you will have a second meeting with your surgeon during which they will take pictures of your face so that your surgeon can discuss with you what changes would be best to make to your nose to achieve the best nose for your face (this is because each face is different and each nose has to reflect this and be individual to you). They will normally use computer software to give you a general idea of how you will look after the Rhinoplasty; it is important, though, that you remember that this is little more than a guide and that the finished result will not be exactly like the image that he or she shows you. The best results will come about through lengthily discussion between you and your surgeon (hence the importance of thinking about what you do not like about your nose and what you want to change about it).

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