How to Find a Revision Rhinoplasty Surgeon You Can Trust

If you have been thinking about undergoing a rhinoplasty, also known as nose reshaping, you will be in good company. According to a study published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were nearly 214,000 rhinoplasty procedures performed in America in 2018, making it one of the top 5 cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the country. Of the thousands of men and women who underwent these procedures, the overwhelming majority were reportedly satisfied with their results. And those who were not satisfied chose to undergo revision rhinoplasty surgery. To put this into perspective, we should take a look at a study published by the National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest biomedical research agency and a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the study, 5 to 15 percent of rhinoplasty procedures performed in America require revision surgery, which is often more complicated than the initial surgery.

What You Should Know About Revision Rhinoplasty

Also known as secondary rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty is a procedure carried out by a licensed cosmetic surgeon to resolve imperfections that may stem from the patient’s initial rhinoplasty surgery. These corrective surgeries may also be needed if a patient encounters breathing problems following their initial procedure. In either case, revision rhinoplasty is not too dissimilar from primary rhinoplasty surgery in that the surgeon will need to make new incisions in the patient’s nose. From there, he or she will need to readjust the bones or cartilage in the patient’s nose to improve its appearance or to restore proper breathing.

Why Revision Rhinoplasty Is More Complex Than The Initial Surgery

When it comes to any form of cosmetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, many surgeons find themselves walking a proverbial tight rope. They want to help patients achieve the results that they envisioned; however, they also want to keep the risk of complications as low as possible. For example, a patient may insist on getting a newly-shaped nose that doesn’t align with the symmetry of their face. If a cosmetic surgeon chooses to go forward with the patient’s request, it could leave the patient with results that they didn’t want or, worse yet, breathing problems. In these cases, a patient might find themselves looking for a new cosmetic surgeon to correct the work done by the previous one. To that point, several studies have shown that unrealistic patient expectations are the leading cause of most revision rhinoplasty procedures.

Why It Is Important To Choose The Right Cosmetic Surgeon

Even if a patient has realistic expectations and chooses a newly-shaped nose that complements their face, revision rhinoplasty might still be needed if the initial surgery was carried out by an inexperienced cosmetic surgeon. As such, those who are considering rhinoplasty are encouraged to do their due diligence and choose a surgeon that is well-versed in rhinoplasty procedures. In doing so, the risk of complications will be much lower. Also, the likelihood of achieving favorable results on the first go-round will be much higher. One of the biggest complaints that some people have after undergoing rhinoplasty is that they either developed breathing problems or their existing breathing problems became worse after surgery. And more often than not, this is a byproduct of choosing the wrong surgeon to carry out the procedure.

How Does A Poorly-Performed Rhinoplasty Procedure Lead To Breathing Problems?

Working with an inexperienced cosmetic surgeon is a common cause of breathing problems following initial rhinoplasty surgery. Further, an inexperienced surgeon could even worsen existing breathing problems for their patients. That said, let’s take a look at what could potentially go wrong as a result of a poorly-performed traditional rhinoplasty procedure and a functional rhinoplasty procedure:

Traditional rhinoplasty

 This form of rhinoplasty is for those who are only interested in making cosmetic changes to their nose, which can include making it smaller or altering its shape. To facilitate either goal, a cosmetic surgeon will make changes to both the outside and inside of the nose. In doing so, however, the inside diameter of the nose will invariably become smaller. If a surgeon fails to consider this, the patient will likely experience breathing problems after surgery. To lower the chances of this happening, most cosmetic surgeons, including those at Becker Rhinoplasty Center in New Jersey, will reduce the size of the turbinates, which are the passageways that help warm and moisten the air that flows in through the nasal cavity.

Functional rhinoplasty

This form of rhinoplasty can help resolve existing breathing problems, such as a deviated septum, for example. However, like traditional rhinoplasty, when performed by an inexperienced surgeon, things can potentially go wrong in that breathing problems can go from bad to worse. Typically, when functional rhinoplasty to correct a deviated septum fails, it is because the surgeon did not correctly realign the septum during the surgery. It is also worth noting that, in some cases, a patient’s breathing problems won’t improve or worsen but rather remain unchanged following surgery. And according to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, this is the case for about 15 percent of individuals who underwent functional rhinoplasty to correct a deviated septum.

While revision rhinoplasty in New Jersey and the greater Tri-State area can correct most problems that arise after an initial rhinoplasty procedure, you will want to choose the right cosmetic surgeon. In doing so, you can avoid having to undergo excessive revisions, which can, over time, take a toll on the skin, cartilage, and bones that make up your nose. To learn more about steps that you can take to lower your chances of having to undergo revision rhinoplasty after an initial rhinoplasty procedure, consider scheduling a consultation with the Becker Rhinoplasty Center, a leading cosmetic surgery practice with offices in both New Jersey and Philadelphia.

LivingBetter50 is a magazine for women over 50, offering an over 50 magazine free download for women of spirit!