Nose correction

More photographs of this treatment can be found here » fotos/neuscorrectie.

Noses, a case in itself

Frequently people walk around for years with the idea that they have an ugly nose and therefore, they are very fixated on their nose. For this reason I sometimes say that noses have a long history. What I am trying to point out to them is, this insecurity will not immediately disappear with a nose correction.

A particular procedure

In the case of the nose we speak of a complexed anatomy. For a nose consists of a bony part, which is part of the skull and a cartilage part. The shape of the nose is determined by both the bony part and the cartilage. In a patient with a prominent nose bridge I have to remove the bone and cartilage with a small chisel or a file. If it only involves the correction of the nose bridge, I make small incisions in the nose from the inside, via the nostrils. This way there will be no scars.
In more extensive corrections, as in the case of a prominent or a hanging nose tip, it also involves a correction of the nose tip. The tip of the nose is composed of several little cartilages. To correct the nose tip I make a small incision in the little bridge between the nostrils in order to be able to tinker with the tiny cartilages. Later this incision will become a small white inconspicuous scar. A correction of the tip of the nose is a precise and subtle work.

Sometimes noses are crooked

In this case both the septum and the bridge need to be corrected. In crooked noses we also work on the so-called ‘ bony nose’, or the area of the bony skull between the eyes. There will always be a small fracture in this area, which we will put in a plaster splint at the end.

The surgery

One to one and a half hours, almost always under general anesthesia, although small corrections to the tip of the nose can be done under local anesthesia. In principal it will be day surgery, although I prefer a night’s stay. After the procedure tampons are inserted in the nostrils which can be removed the next day prior to going home.

After surgery

For most patients it is a shock, especially the first week is the worst. The nose swells due to the surgery and patients quite often get black eyes as a consequence of bruising. When surgery is performed on the bony process of the nose a fracture has been made and a plaster splint will have to be in place for ten days. After ten days the little plaster and splints can be removed and the nose becomes reasonably presentable, although a few bruises will remain under the eyes, the nose and the surrounding area. In some cases we use dressings with sticky strips to keep the nose in place and to prevent bruises from occuring.

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