Nose surgery (open rhinoplasty)

Surgical correction of the nose is desired on functional or aesthetic grounds. The reasons may be congenital or the consequences of an accident. There is often an impairment of nasal breathing, for different anatomic reasons. Aesthetically motivated surgery is often due to the nose being too long, a hump in the region of the nasal bridge, too pronounced nasal wings, a sagging tip of the nose, among many others. A distinction is made between so-called closed and open nose surgery (rhinoplasty). If only the nasal hump is removed, we perform a closed rhinoplasty, whereas for all other corrections, we choose the open technique to get a better overview of the structures to be corrected. The incision is made starting at the columella and then inside the nostrils (nasal vestibule). Fortunately, the scars will be barely visible any more after a few weeks in case of good wound healing. At the end of surgery, the nasal meatus are tamponaded and these tamponades are removed within 24-48 hours of surgery. If the nasal bone is mobilised (osteotomy), the patient will receive a fixation in the form of a cast or a plastic splint for 5-7 days.