Surgery to lengthen a short nose: procedure, price and results

Rhinoplasty is among one of the 5 most demanded cosmetic surgeries in the general population in many regions of the world. Without going any further, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) estimated that in 2017 there were more than 200,000 rhinoplasties. This procedure is the third most common aesthetic procedure in the country, although the number of patients has decreased by 44% compared to the year 2000.

In countries like Spain, rhinoplasty is the fifth most demanded cosmetic surgery. It is estimated that 1 in 10,000 inhabitants has undergone it, the typical profile being that of a young person between 18 and 45 years of age. Although it has lost steam in recent decades, it is undoubtedly still a highly demanded procedure.

In most cases, rhinoplasty is based on the reduction of certain protruding parts of the nose or of look for asymmetry in the patient's face, but not all cases respond to this scenario: in some occasions, the patient may want to lengthen their short nose. If you want to know everything about this procedure, keep reading.

• We recommend you read: "The 17 most common aesthetic retouching in Spain"

What is a rhinoplasty?

From a technical point of view, We can define a rhinoplasty as a set of surgical procedures that seek to solve the main aesthetic problems of the nose, such as the bony hump (that annoying "hump" that gives the nose an appearance of an eagle's beak), deviations to the right or left of the entire nose, congenital malformations, certain respiratory disorders or, simply, situations in which the patient is not happy with her face due to the nose.

There are two main types of procedures to perform a rhinoplasty:

• Closed rhinoplasty: is the most common. The relevant changes are made in the nose through the nostrils, which is why it does not leave a scar.
• Open rhinoplasty: In this case, cuts are made to expose bones and cartilage. It is a more laborious surgery and is only recommended in complicated cases.

If you are considering going to a cosmetic surgeon to perform a rhinoplasty, you should bear in mind that we are before a relatively innocuous surgical procedure, but quite laborious in terms of postoperative and care is refers. Without going any further, the patient may require the presence of nasal plugs that maintain the modified structures in place for up to 5 days and eat only liquid food for a period of weather. Of course, this is a full-blown operation, not an anecdotal retouch.

What is surgery to lengthen a short nose?

A short, flat or flattened nose is known as one in which the nasal tip is very small, giving the face a "weak" and "characterless" appearance. We enclose both adjectives because we cannot disagree more with this definition professional, since both characteristics are determined by the individual, not by their physiology external. Perhaps the nose in question does not follow the aesthetic canons of Leonardo Da Vinci, but it is only the patient who must weigh whether he is comfortable with it or not.

A short nose (from a medical point of view and not just an aesthetic one) is generally due to a lack of cartilage development, injuries, autoimmune disorders, drug abuse such as cocaine or other cosmetic operations that have not been carried out with success. In many cases it is not only a question of beauty, since the patient's own respiratory capacity can be relatively compromised in their day-to-day life.

Once this has been elucidated, it is necessary to emphasize that a lengthening / reshaping of a short nose has to be done by inserting grafts. You may be shocked by what you are going to read next, but most nasal grafts are autologous, that is, they come from the patient himself. We explain ourselves.

Autologous grafts in augmentation rhinoplasties

Most clinics choose to use the patient's own tissues to lengthen the nose, since they are fully compatible with your immune system and the risk of rejection is practically nil. Of course, it is not the same to place a metal prosthesis under a person's skin than a segment of their own body, at least from a physiological point of view.

For this, you have to do a surgery prior to augmentation rhinoplasty per se. In this previous step, the surgeon obtains tissue from the nasal septum (or even from the ear) that will later be grafted in the area of ​​interest. The sheet of nasal septum that serves as a donor is called quadrangular cartilage. In any case, the surgeon must leave a support of this cartilage so that it continues to exert as a support internal part of the nose, since the physiology of the entire area cannot be compromised in pursuit of a aesthetic.

In the case of the second operation of this nature in the patient, the surgeon may observe by X-ray that there is not enough donor tissue. In this case, we go to the auricular area of ​​the ear, since the type of cartilage is very similar to the one we present in the nasal structure. We know it sounds disgusting, but this is the best way to avoid implant rejection by the patient, which will undoubtedly be more damaging than this previous procedure.

There are different types of grafts that are considered in this type of process:

• Cartilage grafts: used to supplement or replace cartilage on the back and tip of the nose. They are the ones we have already described in previous lines.
• Bone grafts: they serve as reinforcements for other grafts and to supplement nasal structures of a bony nature, such as the septum.
• Fat grafts: they serve to smooth the contour of the nose and other imperfections. These grafts come from the abdominal area, as it is where there is usually more fat available.

How is augmentation rhinoplasty performed?

Depending on the type of operation, you can choose a general or total anesthesia, although the second option is the most common. The procedure itself is not too complex because, as we have said, in most cases “closed rhinoplasty” is used through the nostrils themselves. In addition to the placement of the graft, bone elements can also be sculpted that cause imperfections in the harmony of the nose.

The patient will be able to leave the clinic in about 4-6 hours after the operationSo you don't have to stay overnight in the hospital. In any case, and as we have said previously, recovery is relatively slow and expensive for cosmetic surgery. Before submitting to it, find out well about post-operative care, as we assure you that they are not as easy to manage as it might seem at first in many cases.

Considerations

As indicated by multiple portals of a surgical nature (very appropriately, in our opinion), the most important thing in a surgery to lengthen a short nose is not the aesthetic, but the functional. Above all, the most important thing is that the patient regains natural breathing and, after that, goes from the hand a physical and emotional well-being thanks to a “more harmonic” nose, at least under standards typical.

This means that the most sensible thing is not for the patient to go to the consultation with an “ideal nose” in mind but rather, based on their facial physiology and availability of autologous grafts, the best possible procedure will be followed to obtain a better respiratory function, and then, a well-being aesthetic. It is worth mentioning that the price ranges between 2,900 - 3,800 euros / dollars.

Resume

What to say while maintaining fairness? A rhinoplasty is not mucus, well postoperative is expensive and there are multiple risks to consider: nasal obstructions, intense bleeding, broken blood vessels that require cauterization, infections, or simply that the patient does not receive the desired aesthetic result.

Therefore, we advise you to consider this type of surgery only if your facial physiology makes certain tasks difficult for you. day to day, such as breathing or exercising, or if your nose is a real problem of self-esteem beyond what anecdotal. It is much better to accept that facial harmony is a chimera and that aesthetic standards are to be broken than to leave a fortune in a surely unsatisfactory result.