Risks & Rhinoplasty surgery

November

Risks & Rhinoplasty surgery

The risks of rhinoplasty are those of any surgical procedure; pain, bleeding and infection. However the two major risks as far as Dr William Mooney is concerned are form and function. Will the nose work correctly? Will it look as desired? With careful planning and execution, rhinoplasty should be a successful procedure. This in mind, it is a process rather than just a simple one step procedure, and careful planning and postoperative care can be just as important in achieving a successful outcome as the actual procedure itself.

The early stage of rhinoplasty is a debatable point, however Dr William Mooney will ask patients to wait until they are finished school as the patient needs to be physically and mentally prepared.

For males 18 is Dr Mooney’s cut off. For females it is 17, maybe 16 at a pinch. The patient would need to be fully mature mentally and physically and have a nose that truly does not suit them for Dr William Mooney to consider 16 as an operative age.

The oldest rhinoplasty patient Dr William Mooney has performed on was an 84 year old female! This patient was fit and in good health and her mother didn’t pass away until she was 99 so she felt she potentially had 15 good years left and it was therefore reasonable to perform the procedure. For this particular patient it was a primarily functional procedure, but she also enjoyed the aesthetic improvement. This procedure was 10 years ago and the patient is still alive today.

Can a rhinoplasty be fixed if not done well?

It can be improved but revision surgery is difficult. About 5 to 10% of all rhinoplasties end in revision and this group are the most difficult patients. They are often aggrieved that their previous surgeon has not provided the outcome they wanted and they are more stringent in expecting perfection, when in fact revision surgery is often less likely to provide this outcome due to the increased complexities involved.

There are many different options before revision surgery that we use if patients are not happy with their nose. The first and foremost is time. Patience is the key in rhinoplasty, especially in darker skinned patients who usually don’t get their desired outcome for some months post surgery. We often conduct micro treatments around the nose which include: massage, taping, and sometimes injectable treatments. Occasionally we do an office based procedure such as a stitch, but if a patient still remains unhappy with their nose we can consider revision surgery.

The most important steps patients can take to ensure they get the desired look and avoid risks: One: see an established surgeon with a good reputation and good outcomes. Two: have realistic expectations of exactly what you want from your surgery and what can be achieved. Three: be studious with your preoperative planning. Look at your digital imaging, and ruminate (that means ensure you think about the nose that you want). Multiple preoperative consultations are normal in Dr William Mooney’s clinic as they allow patients have a timely and considered approach to the results they are looking to achieve.