Rhinoplasty #183

Our 20 year old beautiful patient is seen 6 months after her functional and cosmetic rhinoplasty surgery. She was bothered by her dorsal hump, and bulbous, droopy nasal tip appearance. There was a restriction in her right internal nasal valve that required a right cartilage spreader graft. In this case, the spreader graft helps to provide a straighter nasal appearance and to help her breathe better through her nose.

When we evaluate our patients who request rhinoplasty, we feel it's important to understand how much someone dislikes their nose. We use a scale from zero to ten. Ten may be defined as the worst possible dissatisfaction, and zero may be defined as no desire for surgery. Our patients who quantify dissatisfaction with their noses at seven or higher are typically eagerly desiring surgery. Rhinoplasty surgery may not be appropriate if someone has only mild to moderate dissatisfaction, or if someone likes their current nasal appearance on occasion. People with a high degree of dissatisfaction for a long duration, with issues we can improve with rhinoplasty, are some of the best candidates for rhinoplasty surgery, since they may be inclined to accept improvement, and experience satisfaction.