Unveiling Artistry and Expertise

Approximately 40 percent of the surgeries Dr. Maas performs are rhinoplasty procedures, including revision rhinoplasty requested by patients who were not completely satisfied with their initial operation. With extensive experience in this area, Dr. Maas understands the intricacies of the nose regarding both form and function and strives to achieve a natural, proportionate, and beautiful result. Dr. Maas knows that any surgical correction of the nose is a very personal choice that the patient should make first, but involves the expert input of the plastic surgeon as well. It requires exceptional anatomical knowledge, surgical skill, and the eye of an artist to create the outcome a patient truly wants. An experienced plastic surgeon like Dr. Maas will take the time to understand your unique aesthetic goals and determine the best techniques and procedures to meet those goals.

Rhinoplasty Before & After

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What is Rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nose surgery, is a procedure used to change the nose's appearance by altering the shape, size, or proportion to the rest of the facial features. Also referred to as a "nose job," this procedure can profoundly impact the entire appearance of your face, which is why rhinoplasty is such a significant surgery for some patients.

While rhinoplasty alone can substantially affect your appearance, it can also be combined with other procedures like chin augmentation to enhance your facial contour further. Rhinoplasty can also be used to improve the function of the nose in some cases, such as straightening a crooked (deviated) septum to enhance both the form of the nose and your ability to breathe easier. However, the primary focus of the surgery is cosmetic.

You might consider rhinoplasty if you have any of the following concerns:

  • The nose is too big or too small.
  • The nasal bridge is too broad, narrow, or crooked.
  • The nasal tip is droopy, hooked, too pointed, or too broad.
  • There is a hump or a concave on the bridge.
  • Nostrils are too wide, too small, or asymmetrical.
  • Your nose is not in proportion with the rest of your face.

Dr. Maas will discuss your concerns in detail and your goals for surgery so you can decide whether rhinoplasty is the right choice for you. Rhinoplasty tends to produce the best results in patients who are in generally good health and do not smoke. If you do smoke, Dr. Maas may recommend you quit for a few weeks before and after your procedure to prevent potential complications and achieve the best possible outcome.

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Choosing the Right Rhinoplasty Technique

Dr. Maas will discuss the two approaches at your initial consultation and help you understand which technique will work the best for you. It would be best to know how your surgery will be performed before the day of your procedure. If you decide surgical rhinoplasty is the right option for you, there are two different ways Dr. Maas might perform your procedure:

Closed Rhinoplasty

This procedure only requires incisions inside the nose, so there is no external scarring after the procedure.

Access using this technique is somewhat restricted, but if you do not need extensive correction, this method can be sufficient.

Open Rhinoplasty

During this procedure, Dr. Maas will make incisions inside the nasal passages and across the columella – the narrow area of tissue underneath the nose between the nostrils. Dr. Maas will create a W-shape to minimize visible scarring after surgery if this incision is used. It is unlikely your resulting scar will be noticeable by anyone once it fully heals. The additional incision provides further access into the nose's interior, which is sometimes necessary to perform all the corrections needed to produce the desired results.

Rhinoplasty Procedure Overview

A rhinoplasty can be performed right in our office at the Maas Clinic™ in San Francisco on an outpatient basis. This procedure usually lasts two to three hours, depending on how extensive the correction will be. Because minimal anesthesia is generally required for rhinoplasty, patients tend to feel relatively alert after the procedure. However, rest assured you will be completely comfortable and relaxed during your surgery. Dr. Maas will discuss your anesthesia options at your initial appointments so you know what to expect when you come in for your operation. No matter which incisions are made, Dr. Maas will use them to carefully separate the soft tissues of the nose from the underlying cartilage and bone. Excess bone and cartilage are adjusted appropriately to give the face a balanced, harmonious appearance.

The most common areas he will address during a rhinoplasty procedure include the septum (the cartilage that divides the nose into two separate passages), the nasal bones that lie above, and the cartilage that makes up the nasal tip. If graft material is required, which is more familiar with revision rhinoplasty, Dr. Maas will take the donor cartilage from an ear or rib. When rhinoplasty is performed to relieve obstructions inside the nose or in conjunction with surgery to reconstruct the nasal passages, the procedure is called septorhinoplasty. The obstruction is removed through internal incisions during this procedure, and the nose's interior is restructured. Because this procedure is often performed for medical reasons, insurance coverage may be available for at least a portion of the surgery. Patients can also include cosmetic changes to the nose during this procedure, although insurance will not cover that part of the operation.

Rhinoplasty Post-Procedure 'Dos and Don'ts'

Dos

  • Be very careful – it doesn't take a lot of pressure or a big bump of the nose to cause bleeding. Gentle touches can be done with care, and laughing is, of course, acceptable, too.
  • Engage in some gentle aerobic exercises. Do what your body tells you is safe and comfortable, like going for a walk, which helps you heal faster.
  • Ensure the cast on your nose stays on for a week to secure the bone and cartilage in the right place. Getting it wet might cause it to come off suddenly, so keep your head out of water.
  • Use nasal saline to wash out the nose when you feel congested, and keep the nose blowing gentle and to a minimum.

Don'ts

  • Avoid any exercises that involve bending, lifting, or straining for two weeks after the surgery. Bending over for yoga increases blood pressure in the head, increasing your risk for bruising. Weightlifting is also not a good idea.
  • Regarding bodies of water, avoid hot tubs for 2 to 3 weeks after the procedure and swimming in public pools for a month. Scuba diving masks also place direct pressure on the nose, and since it takes about 2 to 3 months for the nasal bones to stabilize completely, it is best to avoid diving for a minimum of three months post-procedure.
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Rhinoplasty Results

Once your results from rhinoplasty become final, which may take several months, your new look should be permanent. You should only need additional procedures if you are not completely satisfied with the outcome of your initial surgery. Even subtle changes to the nose can profoundly impact the proportions of your face and your facial profile. If you want to learn more about your choices in rhinoplasty or if this procedure is a good option, contact the Maas Clinic™ in San Francisco today.

What is Revision Rhinoplasty?

Revision rhinoplasty effectively corrects concerns left behind by a previous procedure and produces the final aesthetic results the patient initially hoped to achieve. About half of all the rhinoplasty procedures Dr. Maas performs are revision rhinoplasties. These procedures may be requested for purely cosmetic reasons or because the original surgery affected the function of the nose, and now correction is needed to restore more comfortable breathing. In either case, the revision procedure is often more complex than the original surgery, which is why it is critical to choose a plastic surgeon like Dr. Maas, who has extensive experience in revision techniques and is qualified to take all of these factors into account to help you achieve the results you want.

Revision surgery may be a more challenging process for a variety of reasons. First, scar tissue from the initial procedure may have to be addressed to ensure the revision surgery produces the best possible results. Second, there may be less bone and cartilage to work with during the revision procedure, necessitating grafting from another area of the body to provide sufficient support for the nose after revision surgery. Only a surgeon experienced in revision techniques can handle these factors efficiently to create a result that does not indicate multiple procedures were performed to achieve the patient's desired look.

Revision rhinoplasty results could take a bit longer to see, which may be distressing if you were unhappy with the results of the first procedure and anxious to look at how the corrections take shape. While you will see preliminary results within about two weeks once the cast comes off, there can still be significant swelling for many months that can prevent you from seeing the outcome. Most patients will see those results within 12 to 18 months after the nose fully recovers from the subsequent surgery.

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What is Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty?

Some patients who are apprehensive about the idea of surgery might benefit from a non-surgical rhinoplasty to achieve some enhancement without incisions or anesthesia. During this procedure, Dr. Maas uses a variety of dermal fillers injected into strategic locations on the nose to add volume, correct asymmetries, and adjust minor imperfections. It is beneficial if you have a slight concave or saddleback on the bridge of your nose or a weak nasal bridge you would like to strengthen.

Dr. Maas performs non-surgical rhinoplasty within minutes in his San Francisco office without the need for anesthetic in most cases. This treatment's results can be seen immediately and typically last for many months. It is a temporary fix, so you must schedule periodic touch-ups to maintain positive results. Some patients decide after successfully undergoing non-surgical rhinoplasty to move forward with surgery to achieve similar results permanently. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.

Corey S. Maas, MD, reviewed the information about rhinoplasty. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us using our contact form below.

Rhinoplasty FAQ

Can Rhinoplasty Reduce Nostril Flare?

Do Celebrities Get Better Nose Jobs?

Help! I Bumped My Nose After Rhinoplasty. Is My Nose Okay?

What is a Non-Surgical Nose Job?

What is the Ideal Age For a Nose Job?

Am I a Candidate for a Non-Surgical Nose Job?

How Long Will It Take to Recover From a Rhinoplasty?

Is My Skin Too Thick For Rhinoplasty?

Should You Quit Smoking Before Rhinoplasty?

Can Rhinoplasty Reduce Nostril Flare?

When doing alar base or nostril base reduction, keeping the lovely curvature of the outside part of the nose or the nostril intact is imperative. We call this the ala, and by rotating the ala inward toward the center portion of the face, we can maintain that nice curvature. Several techniques take out wedges and other things that make the nostril look very straight up and down. Michael Jackson was an excellent example of the wedge technique, which looks unnatural. Anyone interested in alar-based reduction or narrowing the nose should know that it's crucial to preserve the curvature of the ala.

Do Celebrities Get Better Nose Jobs?

The simple answer to this question is no. At a good practice with good surgeons, you'll find that we're trying to achieve perfect results for every patient we treat, whether they are a celebrity or not. Anatomy doesn't change with celebrity patients versus any other patient. We address the nose and its structural architecture to refine it.

Help! I Bumped My Nose After Rhinoplasty. Is My Nose Okay?

With nasal bones, the nose is relatively susceptible to injury, so we're careful to keep a nasal cast on for the first week, and we'll return that cast to the patient if they're doing a lot of activities. If they're going to be outside or in a place where they might be bumped, you can place the cast, which doesn't prevent the nose bones from being dislocated, specifically. Still, it defuses any pressure applied directly to the nose or specifically to an area of the nose. So, there are some excellent preventative ways to avoid injury post rhinoplasty.

What is a Non-Surgical Nose Job?

There's been a lot of media attention and internet traffic about non-surgical nose jobs, and we have some examples of non-surgical rhinoplasty on our website so you can better understand. A very limited number of patients are candidates for non-surgical nose jobs. They're typically patients who have a saddle depression of the bridge of their nose where it goes down slightly, or they have a very weak bridge of the nose. We can use an injectable filler product to improve the height of the bridge of the nose and, to some extent, the tip of the nose.

What is the Ideal Age For a Nose Job?

There is no ideal age for a nose job. Still, when it comes to rhinoplasty in younger patients, it is essential to ensure that the patient is mature enough, can intelligently participate in the decision process, and is not being pushed into getting the procedure. Dr. Maas typically recommends that rhinoplasty not be performed on patients younger than 14.

Am I a Candidate for a Non-Surgical Nose Job?

While there has been a lot of media attention on non-surgical nose jobs, it is not a procedure for every patient. Patients who would be candidates include those who have a saddle depression of the bridge of the nose (where it goes down slightly) or have a weak nose bridge. In that case, an injectable filler product can be used to improve the height of the bridge of the nose and, to some extent, define the tip of the nose as well. For the right patient, this procedure can clearly improve their facial contours. While the results are temporary, they can be quite long-lasting.

How Long Will It Take to Recover From a Rhinoplasty?

Dr. Maas tells all his patients that rhinoplasty recovery is a 3 stage process. During the acute first stage right after the procedure, most patients will avoid social events for two weeks due to a degree of bruising and swelling. 2 to 8 weeks post-surgery, when we remove the cast and splints and clean out the nose, most patients do see a resolution of noticeable swelling and bruising. Around the 6 to 12-month mark, the nose will be near its completed healing phase, and patients will be able to enjoy the final results of their procedure. For revision rhinoplasty patients or patients who previously experienced significant nasal trauma, the recovery period may be a little longer. Still, a vast majority will be able to see their optimal results 18 months post-surgery. Are you involved in a wedding or plan to be photographed at a significant life event? Make sure you leave yourself sufficient time to recover fully. We recommend scheduling your rhinoplasty at least 6 to 12 months before.

Is My Skin Too Thick For Rhinoplasty?

First, what causes thick skin when discussing nose surgery, and what can be done? Thickening of the nasal tip skin, in particular, is common because many sebaceous or oil glands are located in the nasal tip. For most patients with thick skin on the tip of the nose, it has to do with glandular tissue. In no way does this preclude you from having nasal surgery. During surgery, Dr. Maas can, in fact, thin the nasal tip skin from underneath to help refine the tip and give it more contour. Patients with very thick bulbous noses often have a combination of thick skin, very thick cartilage, and soft tissue underlying between the skin and cartilage itself, and all three of those areas can be addressed during surgery to get the best overall results in contour for the nasal tip. Post-surgery, using the proper skin care and going for pore-cleansing skin treatments will keep the sebaceous or oil glands in the nasal tip clean and refined, reducing the ticketing of the nasal tip skin. Medical treatment is necessary for patients whose thicker nose tips are caused by Rhinophyma, an extreme form of rosacea.

Should You Quit Smoking Before Rhinoplasty?

Yes. It is critically important to stop smoking well in advance of any surgery, as smoking reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity in your bloodstream, which hurts your body's ability to heal post-surgery. We recommend patients quit smoking for a month before and after their procedure.

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Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty

Transform your profile with our expert rhinoplasty procedures, tailored to enhance form and function for a harmonious and natural result.

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Revision Rhinoplasty

Revision Rhinoplasty

With revision rhinoplasty, we correct previous procedures to achieve the aesthetic and functional results you've envisioned, even after previous challenges.

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Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty

Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty

Explore the artistry of non-surgical rhinoplasty in which dermal fillers are delicately applied to refine your nasal contours without surgery.

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Septoplasty

Septoplasty

Improve breathing and overall nasal health with septoplasty, a precise surgical procedure to correct deviated septums.

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