Dr. Paul E. Chasan, a board-certified San Diego rhinoplasty surgeon, covers common questions that his patients often ask before having a rhinoplasty.
Dr. Chasan has performed thousands of rhinoplasties for over 30 years. He sees his work as a lifelong commitment to the art. He brings an unusual level of experience to the table, placing his quality of work at the top of the list. As a result, Dr. Chasan receives many patients for both new rhinoplasties and revision rhinoplasties alike.
Below, learn more about the rhinoplasty procedure itself.
Before we take a deep dive into the finer points of rhinoplasty, let’s start with some basics: Rhinoplasty is essentially nose reshaping. A Rhinoplasty may involve modification of the external or internal nasal structures to achieve an improved aesthetic or function of the nose. This is a relatively common procedure that has been performed for over a century.
Rhinoplasty has been around since the sixth century. The first modern procedure was in 1887, and in 2017, 44,676 people in the United States reported having a rhinoplasty while 877,254 people worldwide had rhinoplasties performed, according to a statistical report published in the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
There are three main structures in the nose that might be modified during a rhinoplasty operation:
Alar—cartilage from the tip of the nose
Bony Dorsum
Septum—cartilage that separates the nostrils and forms the bridge of the nose, it supports the alar cartilages
Rhinoplasty usually refers to the modification of the external nose and may involve adjustments to all three structures. When talking about nose operations you might also hear the term “septoplasty” or “turbinoplasty.” This refers to the modification of internal structures of the nose that is often adjusted in conjunction with external structures.
