Some of the most common body concerns and issues are fairly easy to cover up or hide. If you’ve got a scar on your chest or abdomen, for example, you can easily hide it with a shirt. If you’re self-conscious about your ears, you can sometimes cover them up with your hair or a hat.
The nose, though, is different. It’s in the center of the face and it’s often the first feature we notice about other people. If you’re self-conscious about your nose, you might feel like there’s no way to hide or cover up the things about it that bother you.
That might be why surgical rhinoplasty is consistently one of the most popular facial plastic surgery procedures in the United States, year after year. It gives people who aren’t happy with their noses a way to take positive action and permanently change what they don’t like. The nose’s prominence could also be the main reason that non-surgical, or liquid rhinoplasty, has also gained in popularity in recent years.
Although both procedures focus on making significant changes to the appearance of the nose, they are considerably different. If you’re thinking about doing something to change the way your nose looks, it’s helpful to compare and contrast the two options so that you can make the choice that’s best for you.
What Happens During Each Procedure
One of the most considerable differences between surgical rhinoplasty and non-surgical rhinoplasty is how they are performed. As you might guess, a liquid rhinoplasty doesn’t involve any incisions. Instead, the surgeon performing the procedure alters the shape and size of the nose using a dermal filler. The filler is injected into specific areas of the nose using a fine needle to create new contours.
Surgical rhinoplasty does involve using incisions to make changes to the nose. The location of the incisions varies based on the type of surgery the doctor is performing. During an open rhinoplasty, the surgeon makes a cut on the underside of the nose, between the nostrils. The open procedure allows a surgeon greater access to the inside of the nose. The open procedure does leave a small scar, but it’s located in an inconspicuous spot and typically fades well. During a closed, or endonasal, rhinoplasty, the surgeon makes any necessary incisions on the inside of the nose. An endonasal rhinoplasty doesn’t offer as much access to the interior of the nose as an open procedure and can sometimes limit the patient’s options for changes. But some patients prefer it because any scarring is on the inside of the nose and not visible.
Recovery Time After the Procedures
Another critical difference between a surgical and a non-surgical rhinoplasty is the amount of recovery time a patient needs afterward. Typically, people who have a liquid rhinoplasty are back in action ASAP. They often don’t need to rest up or take any time off from their everyday activities after the procedure. That said, there is occasionally bruising and swelling around the nose after a liquid rhinoplasty, so some people might want to either conceal the bruising with makeup or take a day or two off until it goes away.
Recovery can be long after rhinoplasty surgery. At the minimum, people often need to take at least one week off from work. Some might want a full two weeks to rest up and to give their nose time to heal. Even after you’re able to go back to work, there are a few activities you’ll have to avoid for a few more weeks after your surgery, such as exercise and anything that’s physically challenging.
What Type of Results to Expect After Each Procedure
The results of a liquid rhinoplasty can be different from the results of a surgical procedure. There are some changes that just can’t be accomplished with non-surgical rhinoplasty. For example, injectable fillers won’t be able to make your nose look smaller. If you’re having functional problems with your nose, a liquid rhinoplasty won’t help there, either.
Usually, non-surgical rhinoplasty is ideal if you’re looking to make part of the nose look bigger or if you’ve got bumps or divots on the nose that you’d like smoothed down or filled in. Other changes to the nose are often best accomplished with a surgical procedure.
How Long Results Last After Liquid or Surgical Rhinoplasty
One last thing to consider when deciding between a liquid or surgical rhinoplasty: How long your results will last. With a surgical rhinoplasty, the changes made to the nose are permanent. You might see your nose change slightly with age or you could schedule an additional procedure to make further changes to your nose, but for the most part, what you end up with after the surgery is how your nose will look for the rest of your life.
The results aren’t meant to be permanent after a liquid rhinoplasty. How long the results will last depends on how quickly your body metabolizes the fillers and on the type of filler used. Some fillers, such as Radiesse, can provide results that last for more than a year. Fillers made from hyaluronic acid, such as Restylane, will often provide results that last for around eight months.
Dr. Shervin Naderi can help you decide on the type of rhinoplasty that will best address your specific concerns. Dr. Naderi is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in nasal surgery at his practice in Virginia. To learn more about your rhinoplasty options and to see which option is right for you, call 703-481-0002 (Herndon, VA Office) or 301-222-2020 (Chevy Chase, MD). You can also contact us online for more information.
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