Rhinoplasty in Mexico by Dr. Manuel Gutierrez Romero

The nose is located in the center of our face and it defines our personality. A nice nose has a balance with our features and is in harmony with the rest of our face. Our racial aspects and genetical information also defines our identity with our family members.

When considering rhinoplasty, it is important to define what part of the nose you don’t like or what parts of the nose you would like to improve. This will give the surgeon the ability to understand, plan, design and obtain the result that you are looking for. You can also bring photos of family members that have a nose that you like, as this will give the surgeon a very good idea of your expectations. Most likely he won’t be able to do it exactly, however he will come as close as possible with the features.

There are basically 3 types of patients that will request a nose job.  A patient that has a large nose, a patient that has a small nose, or a patient that has had previous trauma or an operation.

The most ideal patient is one with a large nose simply because they provide more material to work with. A patient with a small nose is more challenging because we have to create a nose. We normally utilize a bone or cartilage graft, or synthetic material like Gore-Tex for the nose augmentation.

The clearer you are with what you want, the better the chances are you will be satisfied. We ask our patients to bring pictures of noses they like, as this will help us to understand your needs and learn what your concept of beauty is.

THE PROCEDURE

The operation is simple; it usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours, normally under general anesthesia. There are no visible scars because everything is from the inside of the nose. Once we finish the operation, you will have a sponge in your nose and a tape and cast in your skin. You can expect to swell up and maybe bruise around the eyes – this will last for the next 3 to 7 days.

Most of our patients are discharged the same day, and they come back 2 to 3 days after for removal of the sponge in the nose. The tape and cast is removed within 7 days. You can expect that the nose will be swollen for the next couple of months, but the swelling will be eliminated gradually. The estimated time for the swelling to go down is 70% to 80% in the first month, 80 to 90% in the second month, and 100% in 6 months. If you take a control picture at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, you will find that the more time that has elapsed, the more defined, narrower and sharper your nose will look.  Basically, the scarring tissue at this time would be eliminated.

POSTOPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS:

The post operative instructions are as follows:

Sleep with your head elevated at 45 degrees. You can apply ice on your eyes to reduce the swelling and the bruising. Avoid hard things to chew, or very hot meals or liquids. Don’t lean down or pick up heavy stuff, don’t exercise for 3 to 4 weeks, and don’t wear heavy glasses.

After the removal of the sponges, you can lubricate your nostrils with petroleum Vaseline 3 times a day and take arnica (extract of herb) to reduce the swelling and bruising. You will also be taking antibiotics and pain relief medicine for the next 7 days. It is very important to avoid physical contact sports or crowded places for the next 6 weeks.  Your nose bones are fragile and a small bump can move or displace your shape.  Be careful.