Plastic Surgeon Daniel Ronel, M.D.

Rhinoplasty can be performed on anyone once the nose is fully formed, and this usually occurs within the teenage years. In my opinion, at a young age, aesthetic rhinoplasty should only be done to correct a significantly gross deformity, such as a very large dorsal hump. More refined nose jobs should be done on older patients who are mature enough to understand the risks and benefits, and the possibilities of re-operation. It takes a full year for most of the swelling to go down because the nose is such a delicate, complicated structure with many elements, all crammed into a very small location. There is not a significant amount of lymphatic drainage from the nose and so the swelling after surgery takes longer to resolve than it does in other parts of the body. Although the initial results can be seen within a few weeks, it usually takes much longer for the cartilage and the bone to heal completely. For those patients requiring work on the tip of the nose, I make an incision at the base of the nose and lift the skin off the underlying structures (an "open rhinoplasty"). For those just requiring a decrease in a dorsal hump, then the incisions are hidden within the nostrils (a "closed rhinoplasty"). Most people wear an external splint for a week and then go back to work after it is removed.