Las Vegas Nose Surgery >>
What Rhinoplasty Can Do.
Rhinoplasty, or surgery of the nose, offers many variations in nose shape: increase in size of the nose, decrease in size of the nose, change in shape of the tip or bridge, narrowing of the nostrils or change in the angle between the nose and upper lip. A rhinoplasty can be a life changing operation because the nose is such an integral part of who we are and what we look like. Individual desires and ethnic backgrounds have to be taken into account when planning a rhinoplasty for a patient.

Who Might Consider Rhinoplasty.
No surgery can change your looks to ideal, but rhinoplasty can make you look better and feel better about yourself. If your goal is improvement over perfection, then rhinoplasty may be for you. Patients who have had injuries to the nasal area may consider a rhinoplasty, as well as patients who were never fully pleased with the appearance of their nose. Rhinoplasty surgery can be done at any time after puberty, and there are areas of the country where rhinoplasties are almost considered a sweet sixteen kind of occurrence. Older individuals are also good candidates for rhinoplasties. The tissue on the tip of our noses continues to grow with age and at times the tip of the nose starts to droop. These types of acquired deformities can be corrected with a rhinoplasty.

Planning.
Once you decide to undergo rhinoplasty, Dr. Garcia will explain the entire procedure to you. Discuss with him all of your expectations, and don't be afraid to ask any questions. There should be no mystery involved in the procedure. By the time you're ready for surgery, you should be as familiar with the procedure as you can. Bringing in pictures of noses you like will assist Dr. Garcia in planning your rhinoplasty. Also bringing in photos of people's noses you do not like will also help. This gives Dr. Garcia a road map of what you consider attractive and not attractive so he can advise you on what maneuvers are needed to accomplish your goals from a rhinoplasty. Although we cannot give you an exact replica of someone else’s nose, as there are many uncontrollable variables, rhinoplasties certainly can be done to get closer to a desired ideal. The surgery can involve everything from making the bridge lower and taking out a nasal hump, to building the bridge of the nose up, from narrowing the bones of the nasal area, to occasionally widening them, to narrowing the base of the nose or making the lower width of the nose smaller by removing tissue, and shaping the tip of the nose to a more attractive shape. All these maneuvers exist and are available during a rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty surgery will typically take anywhere from one to three hours, depending on what has to be done. It is Dr Garcia's custom to not place nasal packing inside of your nose after a rhinoplasty, making it easier to breathe afterwards. A small cast or steri-strips are applied to the top of the nose after the rhinoplasty, and the patient is typically seen the day after surgery. A return visit is the done at about one week where any sutures that were placed at the time of the rhinoplasty are removed and the cast if placed can also be removed. A period of two weeks of avoiding heavy lifting is required and the a slow increase in activity for the third through fourth week after the rhinoplasty surgery, so that by four to six weeks, the patient has returned to normal activity.

Precautions.
Remember that rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure and as such carries with it an element of risk. Although Dr. Garcia is a talented, accomplished plastic surgeon, sometimes complications do occur. These include infection, nosebleed or reaction to the anesthesia. You can reduce your risk of complications by closely following Dr. Garcia's instructions before and after surgery. Touch-up surgeries are rarely required and one should wait at least 12 months to make this decision. Preparation. Dr. Garcia will give you specific guidelines on what to eat and drink and what vitamins or medications you should take or avoid prior to your surgery. He will give you guidelines on smoking as well.

Procedure.
During rhinoplasty, the skin of the nose is separated from the bone and cartilage. The bone is then re-shaped by using chisels and minute small hammers to accurately break the bones of the nose, along with the cartilage being trimmed if excessive and then folded and held in place with small sutures. Occasionally cartilage grafts are utilized from the patient's own tissues during a rhinoplasty. The skin is stretched back over the bone and stitched into place. Typically Dr Garcia performs rhinoplasties under general anesthesia in order to give the patient maximum comfort, but the medications that are used are quite mild and recovery is usually very quick, with about a 45 minute stay in our private recovery room area.

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