If you’re considering getting a rhinoplasty, you may be wondering what to expect during your consultation. Your consultation will typically last about an hour and consist of two parts: the medical evaluation and the surgical plan. Below are the topics you need to cover at your rhinoplasty consultation.

Surgeon’s Experience, Training and Certifications

From time to time, surgeons boast about their qualifications and experience. Unfortunately, there’s no law by words requiring professionals to display a certifying board license in public, making it challenging for patients to determine if the surgeon is qualified. Even worse, some doctors don’t even have certification from these groups, or they’ve lost their accreditation for noncompliance with standards.

Your best bet for verifying a surgeon’s credentials is to check with the American Board of Medical Specialties, which provides certification for numerous medical specialties and surgical procedures. You can also get references from friends or family who have had similar operations or speak with your primary care physician regarding the qualifications of available surgeons in your area.

Rhinoplasty Techniques

It would be best if you got an idea of what nose surgery technique your surgeon uses. It may sound a bit technical at first, but it’s essential to understand. There are three rhinoplasty techniques.

Open surgery is the traditional plastic surgery procedure where incisions are made near the middle of each side of your nose and extend down to the tip. Because the incisions are open, there is a chance of scarring or damaging underlying tissues and blood vessels.

Endonasal surgery means no external incisions are used during the procedure, and it is associated with minor bleeding and minimal scarring. An endoscope, a small camera, is inserted through your nostrils to access the nasal cavity. The incisions are made endoscopically through the nostrils, and any visible scarring is hidden within your nose.

The ‘closed’ procedure combines open surgery and endonasal approaches, with incisions made at the base of your septum and nostrils for easier access.

Expected Results

You should also find out what the estimated heights, widths, and lengths of your nose will be after surgery. Your surgeon may use these measurements to help you determine if he’s the best fit for you or not. If your expectations don’t match up with what’s possible, then it might be a good idea to set them aside in favor of realistic expectations. Also, be sure to get a comprehensive list of what to expect after the procedure from your surgeon.  You can use photos of previous patients as a guide. However, keep in mind that individual results may vary, and no photo is genuinely representative of the experience you’ll have ahead.

Rhinoplasty Recovery Time

Ask your surgeon how long it typically takes a patient to recover after rhinoplasty. Your recovery time may be influenced by several factors, including the method of surgery you choose, your physical health and lifestyle choices, as well as other underlying conditions that may complicate healing.

While recovery times will vary from person to person, keep in mind that the average recovery time for rhinoplasty is about four to six weeks.

You’ll want to be sure that you are selecting the right Manhattan plastic surgeon for your procedure. The more information you have, the better decision you can make about who is best suited for this critical task of reshaping and refashioning your nose. We hope our article has helped provide insight into what consultation should entail and why it’s so important!

Dr. Glasberg and his team are committed to providing you with the best possible results and look forward to scheduling your consultation and answering any questions you may have. To schedule an appointment, please call us at 212-717-8550 or use our easy online form.