Bellevue Septoplasty/Rhinoseptoplasty

A message about rhinoseptoplasty from Dr. Santos: 

Of all the structures of the face, the nose is probably the least likely candidate to be voted the most aesthetically pleasing or aesthetically perfect facial feature.    Conversely, the eyes provide us with the focus and accentuation of our facial beauty, however the nose, not so much.  The nose is never the center of flattering compliments. We will often here “you have beautiful eyes”, but it is a rare event when someone compliments another by saying “why what a beautiful nose you have”.  The nose is more commonly of aesthetic or medical concern than most any other facial structure.  Of note, a full discipline has long been created dedicated solely to the study of the physiology, pathology and medicine of the nose, known as rhinology.

The nose can be quite a nuisance as it can and will suffer from many frustrating medical conditions.  Common maladies of the nose include allergies, chronic sinusitis, nasal airway breathing problems, septal deviation, turbinate hypertrophy, chronic rhinitis, and recurrent nasal bleeding (epistaxis). Also in today’s society of contact sports, nasal injuries have become quite common, particularly as the culture of the U.S. aspires to keep more physically fit.

Form and function tend to go hand in hand, that is to say, when providing improvement in function (improvement in breathing), the form, or the appearance, the aesthetic beauty, goes with it.  We desire a proportional aesthetically pleasing symmetrical nose, which is functional as well. While the cosmetic aspect of the nose is treated, functional aspects can be remedied as well including alleviation of nasal breathing problems.  Common ancillary procedures during cosmetic nasal surgery include nasal septal deviation correction, turbinate reduction, tear duct obstruction repair, nasal fracture repair, and alleviation of chronic sinus problems with endoscopic sinus surgery.

The appearance of the nose is a very sensitive subject to many due to the propensity of the nose to exhibit aesthetically displeasing characteristics such as asymmetries, contour deformities, crookedness, and bumps on the bridge, wide bridge, bulbous tip, and a size out of proportion with the rest of the face.  Cosmetic nasal surgery aspires to meticulously sculpt and contour the nose to a more aesthetically pleasing form, and provide individuals with a better sense of confidence that their nose is no longer the center of attention to their face.

Cosmetic nasal surgery provides highly satisfactory remedies for many of the aesthetic concerns.  The nose consists of both cartilage and bone, which together provide the underlying foundation and support structure to which the skin lies upon. The aesthetic results desired are to achieve a sense of strength, aesthetic proportionality, and refined contour that matches the face. Common cosmetic nasal surgery treatments include reduction of the prominent bridge, and reduction of the wideness of the nose.  If the nasal tip is too bulbous, too droopy, too wide, or too pointy, etc., cosmetic nasal surgery techniques nicely work to meticulously contour and restructure these elements to a more aesthetically pleasing form.   Improving the proportion of the nose relative to the rest of the face is of high importance.  Sometimes, the nose is too long for the face or sometimes it is too strong or too weak for the face.  A little improvement goes a long ways towards enhancing the individual’s self-confidence. 

Sincerely,
Dr. David Santos