Rhinoplasty
If surgery has been decided upon, a surgical plan must have been made with an analysis of the face and nose before the operation. To achieve an ideal outcome, there should be no misunderstanding between the patient and the surgeon. Sometimes the patient may not want the part that the surgeon deems necessary to be corrected.
A large number of my patients who desire nose surgery have stated that their close relatives tried to dissuade them from this idea. This persistence has various reasons, such as fear of the side effects of the surgery, the individual's inability to sufficiently feel the psychological discomfort caused by their nose, religious beliefs, or the impossibility of reversal if the new nose's appearance is not satisfactory.
An attractive facial appearance is usually related to the harmony of the nose. The goal in nose surgeries is to achieve a proportional balance of the nose between the forehead and the chin; that is, to make the nose harmonious with the entire face. This varies for each person's face. Many plastic surgeons can show their patients the possible post-operative appearance in a computer environment. However, actually achieving this appearance depends on the surgeon's personal skill. If this image shown to the patient inspires great admiration, the patient may perceive it as a promise. Especially if the patient has been given a visual of the possible outcome and the post-operative result does not exactly match it (which it may not), it is inevitable that the patient will express dissatisfaction.
As plastic surgeons, we should not get carried away by honorary comparisons such as sculptors by our patients, and we should keep expectations at a realistic level by explaining the big difference. Human tissues are structures consisting of bone, cartilage, and soft tissue that show varying reactions. It takes time for the result to become clear. However, a sculptor's materials are unchanging materials like stone, wood, or marble.
The most important point in nasal surgeries is to preserve the function of the nose while achieving an aesthetic appearance. For this reason, nasal function should be carefully examined and an intranasal examination should be performed before surgery. If necessary, septal deviations should be corrected and narrow areas should be opened. There is no rule that a person who wants to have a beautiful nose must tolerate functional disorders.
Nasal surgery is the only aesthetic surgery where the scar is completely hidden and not visible from the outside. The scar is inside the nose. In recent years, open rhinoplasty, performed with incisions made from the lower tip of the nose, has become widely used as it provides better visibility and the possibility of millimeter-level work.
All changes made during nasal surgery are performed on the skeletal structure of the nose, which includes cartilage and bone tissue. The skin and subcutaneous tissue of the nose adapt to this new reduced skeleton over time. It may take about a year for the nose to take its final shape, and small changes may continue during this process.
During the healing process, contour irregularities may occur on the bone and cartilage surfaces. Temporarily, dryness in the nasal mucosa and reduced sensation at the tip of the nose may be felt. Minor corrections are easy to compensate for, but it is quite difficult to correct over-reduction or tissue loss.
Thorough analysis of the reasons leading the patient to rhinoplasty, open discussion of these issues with the patient, and planning the surgery accordingly or not performing it when necessary, ensures that neither the patient nor the surgeon experiences problems.
When evaluating post-operative results, I have observed that there can be significant differences in how the outcome is perceived. The most common mistake patients make is constantly focusing their attention on their noses throughout the day. Over time, this causes them to overlook the positive change in the overall appearance of their face and obsessively analyze every millimeter of their nose. Yet, even the most beautiful organ will inevitably reveal a flaw if you constantly stare at it. If pre- and post-operative photos, placed side-by-side, objectively show that the face has gained a more balanced, softer, and aesthetic appearance, then the surgery should be considered successful.