According to surveys, one of the most common insecurities people have about their face is their nose. Your face is the first thing that people look at when they see you, and if you are insecure about the size, shape and overall appearance of your nose, this can hold you back, causing you to feel self-conscious and shy away from social situations. People who are confident with their appearance do better at work, have more friends, get more dates, and have a generally superior quality of life. This why so many people who are insecure about their noses opt for rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty is a plastic surgery procedure that cosmetically reshapes one’s nose to a more desirable shape, and can even have benefits that are beyond cosmetic, enhancing breathing quality. However, many people worry about the risks of rhinoplasty surgery. While there are several rhinoplasty risks that one has to be aware of, in the majority of cases, people are satisfied with their new nose after surgery.
The Less Common Rhinoplasty Risks
There are some risks of rhinoplasty that can be categorized as general plastic surgery risks that would be associated with any procedure, not just rhinoplasty. These risks include:
- Internal bleeding
- Infection
- Adverse reaction to the anesthesia.
As stated before, these are not exclusively rhinoplasty risks, but risks that are associated with any type of surgery, cosmetic or otherwise. Aside from these extremely rare complications, there are some other very rare risks that are unique to rhinoplasty, including:
- Permanent numbness of the nose area due to nerve damage
- Burst blood vessels
- Obstruction of airways
- Loss of smell
- Necrosis (skin death)
- Slow wound healing
- Permanent and visible scarring
- Septal hematoma
These risks of rhinoplasty are experience in less than 1% of patients, but since education is so important regarding any type of plastic surgery, it is still important to be aware of all the possibilities before getting the procedure done. However, with a highly skilled and experienced plastic surgeon, these rhinoplasty risks are highly unlikely.
More Common Risks of Rhinoplasty
The most common risk of rhinoplasty is not that there was severe damage done to one’s body with internal bleeding, tissue death, or infection, but rather that the patient is simply not pleased with the results. For whatever reason, the patient may not feel like their nose was fixed to their liking. Some reasons why the patient may not be happy with the final result include:
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Droopy Tip
The tip of the nose may appear too “droopy”, due to it not being adequately supported after the patient had a large dorsum or hump reduced. A droopy tip after rhinoplasty could either be the result of something the plastic surgeon missed and should have corrected, or it could be a new problem that did not exist before. In either case, it can usually be fixed with a revision rhinoplasty procedure.
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Saddle Nose Deformity
This is when the plastic surgeon was too aggressive and too much of the boney part on the bridge of the nose was removed, causing it to look indented. The saddle nose deformity can usually be fixed with a revision rhinoplasty procedure.
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The Hanging Columella
This is when the nostrils appear to flare out too much. If the plastic surgeon fails to correct this, it can be fixed with revision rhinoplasty.
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Pollybeak Deformity
This is when the shape of the nose is shape similar to the fin of a shark, or a bird’s beak. This occurs when the doctor was not aggressive enough in reshaping the nose. This can fixed with a revision rhinoplasty surgery if the doctor did not correct it the first time.
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Broad Nasal Tip
This is when the tip of the nose is too broad or too wide. If you are still not happy with the tip of your nose after the first rhinoplasty, it can be correct with a revision rhinoplasty procedure.
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Short nose/Pig nose
This is when the nostrils are angled straight forward instead of downward, resembling a pig’s nose. This can also usually be fixed with a second round of rhinoplasty, if it was not fixed to the patient’s liking the first time around.
Droopy Tip Nose
Saddle Nose
Hanging Columella
Pollybreak Deformity
Broad Nasal Tip
Short Nose/Pig Nose
How to Minimize the Risks of Rhinoplasty, and Revision Rhinoplasty
While there are the extremely rare rhinoplasty risks of internal bleeding, infection, loss of smell, etc., the most common risk of rhinoplasty is that the patient is simply not satisfied with the results. This could be due to a variety of reasons, as is illustrated above. The best way to avoid any negative rhinoplasty risks is to do extensive research on the doctor. Many patients simply choose doctors based on who has the lowest rhinoplasty prices – this is a terrible idea. Always choose a doctor based on their credentials – their skill, expertise and experience, rather than by price. Research and meet with many doctors, ask lots of questions (for example, ask them how many of their patients are not pleased with the results of the surgery, and if they have ever had a malpractice lawsuit filed against them), and always ask to see lots of before and after photos of their work. Extensively researching both the procedure and plastic surgeon is the number one rule to successful plastic surgery.
