With rhinoplasties, form follows function
By Andrea Goto
I remember when Jennifer Grey of “Dirty Dancing” (one of my all-time favorite movies) got a nose job. I was so disappointed—post-surgery she was barely recognizable as her nobody-puts-baby-in-the-corner self. And I really liked Frances Houseman. She was the awkward, open-minded every girl who could rock cut-offs and Keds like no one else. And she could land Patrick Swayze. But it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thought about Gray’s choice to undergo a rhinoplasty because it was always her choice.
The nose is a defining feature. A reduction or addition can drastically transform one’s face for better or worse—and the functionality of the nose. Which is exactly why you need to be careful about who you let up in there. I was shocked to discover that a nose job—or rhinoplasty—is one of the most complex cosmetic surgeries to perform. There are all sorts of things to worry about: symmetry, potential collapse, the fact that you can’t grow cartilage, and then there’s the whole breathing thing. (Let’s go ahead and rank the breathing thing as paramount.)
You basically get one solid chance to make an improvement to the nose. Sure, you can get what’s called a “revised rhinoplasty,” which is an attempt to fix a former surgical debacle, but the nose isn’t an easy second fix. Things start to fall apart. In the wise words of Yeats, “the center cannot hold.”
You know the noses I’m talking about: Latoya Jackson, Joan Rivers, any number of those folks on “Botched.” But for every pinched nose and collapsed nasal cavity, there’s a success story, including Ashlee Simpson, Cameron Diaz, and Tyra Banks. Today, more and more patients are not looking to drastically reshape their nose, but rather to subtly change it without compromising functionality. They don’t want to be unrecognizable; they want to be what they consider a better version of themselves. These are women who are bothered by a slight hump or hook here, a deviated septum there. They’re also the women who seek out the right person for the job.
Who is the right person to perform a nose job? Start with a specialist. A fellowship-trained, double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon has more experience and training in rhinoplasty surgery than any other cosmetic surgeon. And given the intricacies of the surgery, you really need to get it right the first time. If you didn’t, then you 100% need to get it right the second time.
Considering a nose job or looking to fix a rhinoplasty gone wrong? Contact Savannah Facial Plastic Surgery today for a consultation with Dr. Tim Minton, Savannah’s own fellowship-trained, double-board certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon!
Click here to view more before and after photos.
