Rhinoplasty Surgery in Teens

Are the teenaged years, which are a roller coaster of physical and emotional changes, an optimum time to undergo rhinoplasty surgery? Many adolescent girls and boys have asked for this procedure to be given to them as a gift for their sixteenth birthday. Many doting parents have complied. Do plastic surgeons think that this a good idea?

Most cosmetic surgeons will advise patients to wait until they’ve reached their adult height and have completely settled into physical maturity. Younger teens will still be growing and developing. It’s not a good idea to permanently alter a facial feature until the bone structure has stabilized. In males, this occurs at the approximate age of seventeen. In females, it is a couple of years earlier, at approximately age fifteen or sixteen. A consultation and examination by a surgeon should answer the question of readiness for each individual, as everyone grows as a different rate.

If a teen has an unattractive nose, it can greatly undermine their confidence and self esteem. They can become the target of ridicule and unkind nicknames that will likely haunt them for years to come. The nose is the central feature on one’s face. If it is too wide, long or crooked, it can throw the entire facial composition into disharmony. To protect their self esteem and to give them a confident start as they enter adulthood, many believe that adolescence is the perfect time to undergo rhinoplasty surgery.

During this operation, the surgeon will use either an open or closed technique. The open method entails making an incision under the nostrils which gives more room for the doctor to perform the procedure. During a closed version, all changes are made via the nostrils. Portions of bone, which are found in the upper nasal region, and cartilage, found in the lower, more pliable sections, may be removed, rearranged or even broken in order to re-sculpt the nasal skeletal structure. Skin and tissue may need to be removed, as well.

Rhinoplasty surgery is considered to be an outpatient operation, meaning that the patient will go home from the hospital or clinic on the same day. Post-operatively, most people experience swelling, pain, and bruising that will last for several weeks. It actually takes a full one to two years for the results to become finalized, as the skeletal system and tissue take quite a while to settle into their new composition. When healing has occurred, the effects will be permanent, and the teen can then move into adulthood, confident about their enhanced appearance.