Rhinoplasty Surgery Made Easy To Understand

Rhinoplasty (nose surgery) is one of the top requested cosmetic procedures for both men and women in plastic surgery. The prominence of the nose and its significance to the appearance of the face makes the need for any rhinoplasty surgery to be very precise. Good results in rhinoplasty are dependent upon an understanding of the complex framework of bone and cartilage that make up the nose. Rhinoplasty surgery changes the shape of this framework which is revealed through the overlying skin.

Think of your nose as a house. The shingles are the overlying skin, the framework and timbers are the cartilage and bone, and the drywall the nasal lining. The septum supports the highest roof angle of the nose. (cartilage) Everyone's nose is different due to variations in the framework structure and the thickness of the skin that overlies it. As plastic surgeons we think of the nose as 4 areas, the upper 1/3 which is bone, the middle 1/3 known as the middle vault which is all cartilage which is straight, and the lower 1/3 or the tip of the nose which is a combination of scroll-shaped cartilages that come together over the septum and is what gives everyone their unique tip shape. (which is the most different between any two people) The fourth area is the skin, which dependent upon its thickness, can show the underlying framework well if it is thin but can hide much of it if it is thick.

When we alter the nose we are changing the way the framework (bone and cartilage) is joined together and is shaped. This could be taking down the height of the roof in one area (that bump on your upper nose), reshaping the tip of the nose (by changing the shape of the scrolled cartilages, breaking the bone along the bridge to narrow the nose (collapsing the walls), or in some cases adding to the roof line with implants or cartilage to raise the height of the roof line.

Due to the complexity of how all of these framework structures come together, most rhinoplasties today are done 'open'. While this used to be a controversial area (what was known as the most contested 6 millimeters of skin on the body), it is now accepted to produce the best results in most nose surgeries. An aopen approach simply means that the skin is lifted off of your nose over the tip so its anatomy can be directly seen. You can always shape better what you see better. This only leaves a nearly imperceptible scar at the middle of the skin between your nostrils. (known as the columella) This is a very small price to pay for a better rhinoplasty result!

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Dr Barry Eppley is a board-certified plastic surgeon in private practice at Clarian Health in Indianapolis, Indiana. He writes a daily blog on trends in plastic surgery at www.exploreplasticsurgery.com

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