Rhinoplasty

What are the types of rhinoplasties performed at Wake Plastic Surgery?

During your comprehensive consultation with Dr. Barry, he will discuss the best options to meet your needs and desired outcome. At Wake Plastic Surgery, Dr. Barry is able to reshape the nasal tip, reduce the width and size of the nostrils, and reduce or reshape the nasal bridge or nasal “hump.” Unfortunately, we do not perform procedures to correct or straighten a deviated septum, also known as a septoplasty.

Who is a good candidate for a rhinoplasty?

We want you to have the best possible results with the fewest potential risks. Safety for our patients is always our number one priority so we require some goals to be met before scheduling surgery:

• No smoking for 4-6 weeks prior to surgery and no smoking 4 weeks after surgery
• Pausing any Semaglutide/GLP-1/Tirzepatide for 2 weeks prior to surgery
• Off any prescription blood thinners: Coumadin, Xarelto, Elliquis, etc.  (May require cardiologist permission to proceed)
• Discontinuing aspirin and NSAIDs before surgery
• Discontinuing herbal supplements that increase bleeding risk
• Ensuring blood pressure is adequately controlled if hypertensive.

Will there be a scar after having a rhinoplasty?

A commonly asked question about any cosmetic surgery, including rhinoplasty, is if the procedure will leave a scar. Depending on the type of rhinoplasty that you get there could be minimal scarring. However, Dr. Barry will place  most of the incisions in the natural curves of the nose to try and camouflage them. Another helpful technique to avoiding scars, is to place the incisions inside the nasal cavity so they are not visible. Other outside factors can also greatly attribute to scarring such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and exposure to sunlight without the use of a good sunscreen.

What is the recovery like after a rhinoplasty?

After your procedure, Dr. Barry will use a combination of permanent and dissolvable sutures to close the incisions. Tape and splints will also be placed to support the nose before leaving the operating room. A drip pad may also be taped to the bottom of the nose to collect fluid and the drip pad can be changed every 4-6 hours as needed, but the tape and splints will be removed by Dr. Barry at your one week follow-up. When the splints and tape have been removed, you will notice that there will still be some bruising and swelling for a few more weeks. This is completely normal and you can use makeup to camouflage bruising as early as 5 days after surgery, but is recommended to not use eye makeup if you still have any splints. While majority of the swelling will dissipate after 3 weeks. It is important to keep in mind that everyone heals differently and it can take up to 12 months to see the final results of a rhinoplasty and for the remaining 20% of swelling to disappear. Dr. Barry will call to check on his patient the night of their surgery, see them for a one week, one month, and three month, 6 month, and one year follow-up, and anytime in between if needed by the patient.

What is the importance of having healthy skin on the face prior to surgery?

Medical grade skincare products and skin resurfacing treatments are a beneficial compliment to rhinoplasty procedures to produce the best results. All of Dr. Barry’s rhinoplasty patients will have a complimentary consultation at our MedSpa to help them achieve healthy skin.