History and Methods of Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is one of the most demanded plastic operations, because most people who seek help in specialized clinics are dissatisfied with their nose in particular. Someone thinks that it is disproportionally big, someone dissatisfied with its shape or with a definite part, such as nostrils, nose tip, crook in the nose.

Among those who want to use this procedure are not only people who try to change their appearance. Often it is conducted to eliminate health problems:

• birth defects;
• septal deviation;
• serious disturbance of nasal breathing;
• posttraumatic defects.

Brief history of rhinoplasty

first such operations were conducted in India for people with a partially absent nose even before Christ. This was the result of birth defects, home accidents or military wounds and prevented a person from feeling confident in society. Then, the skin from the forehead and cheeks was used as a material for transplantation, after which the disfiguring scars remained on face. Despite this, there were many people willing to take advantage of such a service offered by doctors.

During the Middle Ages, doctors of the most developed countries of Europe at the time began to adopt this experience and gradually improved it, having learned to transplant skin from hands and "assemble" noses from different parts of face, while trying to save its attractiveness. Such procedures were in great demand among patients with syphilis, lupus and tuberculosis. A little later, the doctors began to add a lining of cartilaginous tissue. They started to think about restoration of functions and mucous membranes only in the 18th century. At the same time approximately, talk about rhinoplasty as a method of correction of aesthetic defects of appearance has arose.

Types of rhinoplasty

There are a lot of types of rhinoplasty and all of them are aimed at solving definite, specific problems. Not all of them involve surgery, laser and non-surgical correction hardly will help in case of emergency, but they will perfectly cope with small defects without using a scalpel.

There are procedures the application of which is caused by clinical indications:

• septorhinoplasty, which corrects deflection that cause snoring;
• conchotomy, which resolves problems with breathing due to complete or partial removal of hypertrophied mucous of nasal concha;
• electrocoagulation that is also used in case of nasal concha hypertrophy;

There also created for elimination of aesthetic imperfections:

• nose tip rhinoplasty;
• correction of columella;
• change of shape;

Some could be conducted both on the recommendation of a doctor or at the wish of a client:

• rhinoplasty of nose base;
• grafting (transplantation of cartilaginous tissue for creation of required shape).

There are also augmentation and reconstructive rhinoplasty, which are used for correction of surgical misadventure.

Methods of the rhinoplasty

There are only two methods of rhinoplasty: open and closed. The first one involves cutting skin of nasal septum with a thickness of about 5 mm. It is used during an operative intervention, when moving of bones and cartilages is required, as well as in case of defects after injuries. Doctors do not use it very often. If using it scars may remain, but in some situations there’s no alternative, for example, in case of comminuted damage of mucosa. When applying the closed method, the incisions are made inside nostrils and the doctor works through them. Such method does not leave undesirable marks on face, and healing takes less time.

Evaluation of the result of nose correction can be made no earlier than in a year after its implementation. Only after such a period of time it could be possible to make sure of absence of the following consequences:

• inflammation;
• hemorrhage;
• hematomas;
• defects and skin thinning;
• synechia (scabs and adhesions).

All these problems could be solved, but it is advisable to carry out any repeated manipulations not earlier than in a year and a half.

Rhinoplasty is one of the most difficult sections of aesthetic surgery, which requires serious theoretical training and extensive experience from a doctor. That is why, in order not to be disappointed with the result, it is recommended to carry out all necessary research in advance and give serious consideration to choice of a specialist.