The Right Candidate for a Nose Job

Rhinoplasty is a plastic surgery procedure which can aesthetically improve the nose by increasing or decreasing its size, changing the tip, removing the dorsal humps, and altering the nostrils. But in some cases, this procedure is also used to reconstruct the nasal irregularities and breathing problems caused by accident, disease, and abnormal growth of the nasal structures.

With the advancement in plastic surgery, rhinoplasty procedures are safer and result to a more natural result compared to the previous techniques. However, doctors still use a strict patient selection method since the procedure is still invasive in nature.

These are the qualifications of a good candidate:

• Physically healthy

Because rhinoplasty requires patients to recover from the surgical incision, they should have no healing problems that would increase the risk of complications such as skin necrosis, gangrene, infection, and other conditions related to delayed recovery.

Also, people with diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disorder, heart problems, and other serious medical conditions are considered as high-risk patients.

• Non-smokers

Several studies suggested that nicotine prevents the skin from efficiently absorbing oxygen which can result to delayed recovery which then predisposes patients to skin necrosis and in severe cases, gangrene.

Because of the risk caused by smoking, plastic surgery doctors generally advised their patients to kick the habit at least two months before and after the surgery.

• Emotionally Stable with realistic expectations

It is important for patients to be emotionally and psychologically stable that would help them cope with the physical changes brought by plastic surgery. In addition, they should have realistic expectations that would make them satisfied with the post-surgery result.

Because most rhinoplasty procedures are elective in nature, patients who have unstable mental state (e.g., schizophrenic, manic depressive) are not considered as a good candidate since their condition might be aggravated by the physical changes.

• Have not used cocaine

Nasal cocaine users are generally considered as a bad candidate for rhinoplasty because their nasal structure has been damaged by harmful substance they are taking.

• Patients with no significant scarring

Patients who have too many previous rhinoplasty procedures developed atrophic skin caused by significant scarring which makes it hard, or even impossible for doctors to make another alteration. Also, patients who have previous rhinoplasty within the last nine to 12 months are generally not considered a good candidate and are usually advised to wait until their scars to completely heal before they undergo another procedure.