Lili Cordell
The revision rhinoplasty procedure was introduced to repair poorly done nose jobs or nasal injuries in order to restore the structure and usability of a patient’s nose. A rhinoplasty, more commonly known as a nose job, is a popular plastic surgery that alters the physical shape of the nose. Nose surgery is primarily intended for those patients seeking more appealing features, but it is also utilized by people who require nose plastic surgery to reconstruct a damaged nose or improve breathing. The surgeon will conduct the procedure using one of two methods: open rhinoplasty or closed rhinoplasty.
Popular Rhinoplasty Methods
Open Rhinoplasty
Although it leaves a small scar, open rhinoplasty is the preferred option among many physicians because of the accessibility it allows. It is usually chosen if there is an extensive amount of work that needs to be done, or if an implant is required.
Before incisions are made, the patient is typically placed under general anesthesia. While some physicians only require their patients to be anesthetized locally, general anesthesia continues to be the most preferred choice.
The patient is in a completely unconscious state when the incision is made. The location of the incision during an open rhinoplasty is across the skin that divides the nostrils, also referred to as the columella. This provides easy access to the bridge of the nose as well as all cartilage, since the skin can be completely lifted upward to reveal the tissue underneath. The entire columella must be cut with a scalpel in order to reveal the cartilage and bone.
The surgeon will then form the nose into the desired shape. If the patient believes his/her nose is too large, bits of bone or cartilage can be removed from the bridge and discarded. If the nose is considered to be too small, pieces of bone taken from elsewhere in the patient’s body may be implanted around the already existing bridge. Once all necessary reshaping is finished, the skin may be restored to its regular position and the incision closed with sutures.
Closed Rhinoplasty
General anesthesia is widely used during this cosmetic surgery as well. Because the nose would be covered by a ventilating anesthetic, the necessary sedatives are administered intravenously.
While there is no danger of scarring with the closed rhinoplasty, the surgeon does not have the accessibility achieved with its open counterpart. This is because the incision is made inside the nose. Once the patient has been anesthetized, the surgeon uses a scalpel to cut inside the nose and through the nostril. Reshaping is commenced from there, and any implants or bone/cartilage removal that needs to take place is accomplished by sliding the particles in and out by way of the nostril. Nose surgery should be conducted in this manner only if the necessary reshaping is minimal.
Unless nose plastic surgery is obligatory, insurance companies do not typically assume the costs that a rhinoplasty entails. Reasons for undergoing a necessary nose surgery include breathing problems, accidental injury, and revision rhinoplasty, in which case a corrective nose surgery is required following a failed preliminary operation. Several credit companies offer financing for the procedure, but the patient will most likely be required to pay the total cost.
The average nose job can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $8,000. This amount does not include the several additional fees, such as hospital fees, anesthesia fees, and nasal packing. These fees vary from patient to patient. Depending on the intricacy of the procedure, medications and splints, or nasal packing, may or may not be required. Since the patient will most likely be administered general anesthesia, the anesthesia fees will most likely cost approximately $1,000. In the event that a local anesthesia is administered, this amount is reduced. Finally, the hospital/facility fees will become more costly the closer one is to a metropolitan area.
[page updated December 2008]