Rhinoplasty for the Tip of the Nose

There are many men and women who don’t like the way their nose looks. They may be embarrassed about a specific feature of the nose, such as the tip. For these patients, they can change the appearance of the nose with rhinoplasty surgery. There are many different types of rhinoplasty (nose) surgery, depending on what part of the nose the patient wants to change. This blog post covers the basics of tip rhinoplasty.

What Is Tip Rhinoplasty?

General rhinoplasty refers to any surgery that changes the shape of the nose. When plastic surgeons refer to tip rhinoplasty, they are referring to the nasal tip of the nose. Anyone who has suffered damage to the nose, or has a wide, boxy, narrow, or bulbous nose may consider a tip rhinoplasty.

The Tip Rhinoplasty Procedure

Since tip rhinoplasty addresses the outermost part of the nose, this procedure is generally the less invasive form of rhinoplasty surgery. However, there is not a universal type of tip rhinoplasty surgery, because the tip of each patient’s nose is dramatically and drastically different. As such, each individual surgery will be a bit different and require varying surgical techniques and cosmetic outcomes.

Since each surgery is customized to the individual patient, the site and size of the incision can change from person to person. The incision can either be made in the nostrils or across the columella. The incision approach will be discussed between the patient and the plastic surgeon in a consultation before the procedure.

Since this procedure requires restructuring of the nose, the patient will often be put under general anesthesia. Still, the procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, and the patient will be in and out of the office on the same day. Since anesthesia is used, the patient should make arrangements in advance to have a family member or friend take them home.

Another thing patients should consider is that more than one part of the nose may be addressed at the same time. If the patient doesn’t like the way the tip of their nose looks, along with other features of the nose, he or she should talk to their surgeon about a more extensive rhinoplasty procedure.

During tip rhinoplasty, the surgeon will lift the skin off of the nose, and manipulate the bone and cartilage to produce a better aesthetic outcome. Some of the cartilage may be removed or reshaped to achieve the look that the patient desires.

Side Effects and Risks of Tip Rhinoplasty

The risks of a tip rhinoplasty surgery are minimal, but every surgery comes with risks. When patients are considering whether or not to undergo this type of surgery, they should consider the following risks:

• Bleeding - While the tip of the nose is the only part of the nose that will be operated on, the tip of the nose has a lot of capillaries, and excessive bleeding can occur.
• Infection - Infection is also a possibility and will often be treated with an ointment or antibiotic.
• Scarring - As with any surgery, unfavorable scarring is a potential risk.

While these risks are rare and less likely to occur, patients should expect to experience side effects of surgery. These include:

• Discomfort
• Swelling
• Bruising

 For more information about tip rhinoplasty surgery, please contact Crawford Plastic Surgery today.