Nose Surgery

Nose Surgery (also termed Rhinoplasty) is a surgery in which physical features of the nose can be corrected along with medical problems, such as difficulty breathing. Nose surgery remains one of the most popular cosmetic procedure performed in America today.

Improving the shape and contour of the nose can have profound effect on someone’s appearance, as it is central to the face and often the first feature we see. The surgery itself is complex and nuanced, therefore you should always seek a rhinoplasty specialist to perform your nasal surgery.

Dr. Bellamy is the rhinoplasty specialist of south Florida. He has advanced fellowship training in aesthetic and functional rhinoplasty, having trained with the best rhinoplasty surgeons in the world. His expertise ranges from primary (first-time) rhinoplasty to complex revision (second-time) rhinoplasty to ethnic rhinoplasty.

Dr. Bellamy offers in-person consultations or virtual consultations. Your consultation will include a virtual planning photo using a photo of your nose to generate predicted before & after results. These virtual planning photos are an important part of the consultation process, as they facilitate a discussion about your desired changes and what is accomplishable surgically.

Reasons for considering a Nose Surgery

A nose surgery is a procedure you should consider if you want to:

• Improve balance & symmetry of the face
• Make your nose smaller (reduce nasal projection)
• Reduce a hump (dorsal hump reduction)
• Refine your tip (correct a bulbous or boxy tip)
• Make your tip less droopy (reduce infra-tip excess)
• Reshape your nostrils
• Reshape a crooked nose
• Correct a deviated septum
• Improve breathing (inferior turbinate out-fracture and septoplasty)

Are you a good candidate for Nose Surgery?

You may be a good candidate for nose surgery if:

• You are physically healthy
• You do not smoke, or are able to quit smoking. If you are a smoker, you are required to quit smoking for at least a 4 weeks prior to your surgery date and continue to refrain from smoking for 4 weeks after. This will promote improved healing and reduce the risk of infection, wounds, or other healing problems.
• Your Body Mass Index is less than 35. This is a safety precaution for outpatient surgery with anesthesia.

How is the procedure performed?

Lasting for up to three hours, this surgery is typically performed under general anesthesia. The surgery starts with a small incision on the underside of your nose (columella) to allow visualization and access to your nasal anatomy. The bone and cartilage can then be reshaped and deformities corrected and improved. Once healed, this tiny incision is nearly invisible. This approach is termed “open” rhinoplasty and provides the best ability to deliver long-lasting and custom-tailored results. An alternative approach without any external incision at all is termed “closed” rhinoplasty and may be appropriate for a minority of patients with only very minor changes needed.

Some patients may require re-shaping of their nostrils as well if they are large or flare outward. This small change can produce a beautifully refined result when needed. In this scenario, additional small incisions are hidden in the crease where your nostrils meet your cheek.

Where is the surgery performed?

The surgery is performed in Estetica Institute’s accredited surgical center, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Our surgeries are performed at our state-of-the-art surgical operating rooms by a highly trained staff of professionals who all maintain the highest credentials. Our facility is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF).

How long does the surgery take?

Typically, a nose surgery procedure takes two to three hours to perform. Patient will recover for about a half-hour after the procedure, and then may go home.

Can I drive myself home?

You cannot drive yourself home after the surgery. We suggest that you arrange for a ride home with a friend or relative. We are happy to help you arrange for a ride and some overnight help if necessary.

What happens after surgery? What is the recovery process?

After rhinoplasty, patients will have an external and internal nasal splint in place. You will need to sleep on your back with your head elevated on a few pillows to help swelling improve faster. Pain is minimal after rhinoplasty and most patients only use pain medication for the first couple days, if at all. The splints are removed on day 7 after surgery, and sutures on your columella are removed at this time as well. If you had nostril reshaping, these sutures are removed on day 10. At this point, swelling of your nose will start to improve. Some patients have very little swelling while others have more. The swelling will continue to improve over the next weeks to months, depending on the patient. Keeping your head elevated as often as possible will help expedite this part of the healing process.

Like any surgery, incisions should be protected from the sun with sunblock and/or hats/covering while healing and over the first year.

Our caring and highly trained staff is here to help from your initial consultation through your recovery. The doctors are just a phone call away 24-7 for you after any surgical procedure.

If I’ve already had a nose surgery, how is a revision different?

If you have already had a rhinoplasty procedure, we term this “revision rhinoplasty”. This procedure differs from your first rhinoplasty in several important ways. Oftentimes you will have scar tissue that will need to be released, removed, or reshaped to address unwanted shape and contour. The cartilage from your septum has typically already been used or changed after a rhinoplasty. Since this cartilage from the septum is what we use to strengthen and reshape your nose, we must use cartilage from somewhere else.

Historically, this involved harvesting rib cartilage through a second incisions and surgical site on your chest. However, there have been significant scientific advances that allow us to use “off-the-shelf” rib cartilage graft made of donor rib cartilage. This cartilage is recognized as your own by your body and fully integrates into the surrounding tissue for a seamless and natural result without the need to take your own rib.

The recovery process is otherwise the same. Your consultation will be directed at discussion about what aspects of your nose you would like to change or improve to give you the cosmetic result you desire.