Rhinoplasty

Home | Facial Plastic Surgery | Rhinoplasty

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People bothered by the shape or proportions of their noses are aware of the influence this central feature can have on the entire face. It can detract from more attractive characteristics and create imbalance among the features.

Dr. Victor Chung specializes in rhinoplasty at La Jolla Facial Plastic Surgery. Rhinoplasty — commonly referred to as nose surgery or a "nose job" is a procedure that's best performed by a facial plastic surgery specialist such as Dr. Chung. Rhinoplasty patients from throughout San Diego County trust Dr. Chung, who is board certified in otolaryngology — head and neck surgery and fellowship trained in facial plastic surgery, for this intricate and transformative procedure.

To discuss the possibilities for your attractive new nose, request a consultation online to talk to Dr. Chung about rhinoplasty here in San Diego. You may also call the office at (858) 461-0383 and one of our staff members will schedule your appointment.

Rhinoplasty
Before & After Photos

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Elements to Consider

Because the nose undergoes significant changes with age, rhinoplasty is a relatively popular procedure for people of all ages. However, keep in mind that the nose must be fully developed in order to proceed with surgery. For most people, this occurs by age 16 or so. Rhinoplasty can improve many elements of the nose, including:

• Width
• Projection
• Bulbous tip
• A hump or bump
• Damage from injury, including previous surgery
• Nostril size or width
• Breathing difficulties caused by septal deviation or other irregularities

Your Consultation

During your consultation with Dr. Chung, you'll discuss your aesthetic goals and your expectations for surgery, as well as your medical history and other lifestyle factors which may affect your surgery. He performs a thorough physical evaluation of your nose to determine the best surgical approach for you and walks you through the process to ensure you know exactly what to expect.

Dr. Chung takes a lot of photographs to document each step in your rhinoplasty process. He has a dedicated photo studio for this purpose. This practice helps him work with you to plan your results and evaluate changes in your body that may not otherwise be noticeable.

Dr. Chung encourages you to bring along a friend or family member to this important appointment. It can help to have an extra set of eyes and ears when discussing the details of your surgery. During this appointment, you may also wish to discuss further refining the contours of your face with fat transfer or injectable fillers.

Your Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is a tremendously personalized surgery that can vary greatly from patient to patient. Dr. Chung carefully adjusts his techniques to meet your specific needs, and he goes over his surgical plan with you at length prior to your procedure. Dr. Chung performs rhinoplasty while you are under general anesthesia.

Depending on your aesthetic needs, he may begin by making an incision hidden completely within your nostrils (called a closed rhinoplasty) or an incision across the narrow strip of skin between your nostrils (called an open rhinoplasty). In either case, the resulting scar should be undetectable.

Once he's made the incisions, Dr. Chung sculpts the framework of your nose by removing or adding to the underlying cartilage, bone, and soft tissue as needed. After taking extensive measurements, evaluating your nose for symmetry and ensuring it aligns with your goals, he closes your incisions.

Revision Rhinoplasty

If you've undergone rhinoplasty at another practice and are unhappy with the results, Dr. Chung's surgical expertise can help improve the appearance of your nose. Revision rhinoplasty is a more technically demanding procedure and requires a facial plastic surgeon with specialized training. Learn more about Dr. Chung's experience with this procedure on our revision rhinoplasty page.

Recuperating at Home

Rhinoplasty is an outpatient procedure, which means you may return home the same day. However, you'll need a trusted friend or family member to stay with you for the remainder of the day to help take care of you.

You can anticipate taking about 1 week off from work or school to allow your nose to begin safely healing. Discomfort and swelling are normal but manageable with prescribed medication. It's also a good idea to keep your head elevated at all times, even overnight. Dr. Chung will see you the very next day. After about a week, Dr. Chung removes your bandages and sutures. Dr. Chung does not use packing in the nose, so there will be no painful removal. At this point, swelling should also be significantly diminished. However, if your job is physically demanding, you may require a bit more time at home.

As you continue to heal, Dr. Chung gradually clears you to return to other activities, such as exercise.

Long-Term Results

Although it can take up to a year for swelling to resolve and results to fully stabilize, you'll likely have a good idea of your ultimate outcome after about 6 to 8 weeks. Your nose will continue to evolve over your lifetime, even without surgery. Continued follow-up appointments with Dr. Chung are essential to optimize your life-long outcome.

Common Questions

Can someone be too old for rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty is most often performed on patients in their late teens and 20s, but age is less important than the patient's overall health. The condition of the skin is also important. Skin may thicken as we age, and optimal results become more challenging to achieve when a rhinoplasty patient has thick nose skin. Another challenge is that cartilage in the nose may calcify and become brittle.

Will insurance pay for rhinoplasty?

If you undergo rhinoplasty for aesthetic reasons — i.e., you just want to change the shape or size of your nose — then it will generally not be covered by health insurance.

Patients who have obstructed nasal passageways may need septoplasty to improve their respiratory health, and that is often covered by insurance. Rhinoplasty and septoplasty may also be combined; in those cases, the cost of the procedure is sometimes partially paid by insurance. Insurance may also pay for rhinoplasty following trauma to the nose.

The details of your particular situation can be discussed during your consultation.

How much does rhinoplasty cost?

Dr. Chung customizes each rhinoplasty procedure based on the individual patient's needs and aesthetic goals. Because of that, the cost of rhinoplasty varies greatly from patient to patient. Our practice offers competitive pricing to make cosmetic procedures such as rhinoplasty available to as many people as possible. Financing for qualified patients is also available.

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