Realistic Expectations for Your Nose Job

In my previous post I discussed what a rhinoplasty procedure involves and how different each case is depending on your concerns and needs. As with any procedure, it’s important to have healthy expectations for your procedure and what can be accomplished. The following are pieces of advice I give my patients:

• It is very important to realize that your nose must be suited to your face. The overall shape and dimensions of your face, your ethnicity, your skin type, and many other factors determine the shape and size of nose that would “fit” your face. This is why there are hundreds of different kinds of noses. Angelina Jolie may have a nice nose, but it wouldn’t work on Oprah Winfrey’s face.
• Another important fact to accept is that only so much can be done to change the shape and size of your nose. It is almost impossible to give you exactly the nose you see on someone else. What your final result turns out to be has a lot to do with what the surgeon has to work with.
• It can be hard for patients to get a good picture of what the results will be, so doctors sometimes use computer programs to simulate the outcome. It’s important to understand that these programs will not give you an exact image of what your nose will look like. In reality, a person’s tissues, cartilages, and bones can react in unanticipated ways to a surgeon’s work. Do not think of the computer simulation as a guarantee. More likely than not, after the surgery, your nose will look different from the computer simulation.
• Many people are extremely picky about their nose because it’s right there in the center of their face, and they can spend a lot of time looking at it and feeling it. You have to keep in mind that what you are feeling and seeing is your perception. Others will not see the minor imperfections you see. You’ll probably be more critical about the results than other people will be. Maybe, one side feels a little bit different than the other or there’s a slight asymmetry, but those sorts of things are normal and to be expected.
• In the case of rhinoplasty, patience is extremely important. It really does take a year to see the final results, and any judgment of the final outcome before that year is over is unrealistic.

Learn more about what to expect from a rhinoplasty procedure in my book, “Making the Cut” available for purchase on Amazon.

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