Question:
I had septorhinoplasty and turbinate reduction nearly a month ago. I have quite a bit of numbness on my nose and cheeks. Is this normal?

Answer:
Temporary numbness of the nose certainly is not unexpected after a rhinoplasty and should resolve spontaneously.  Numbness of the cheeks, however, is rather unusual and so I would recommend that you see your surgeon so you can discuss this with him, but more than likely this is a temporary problem and should completely resolve with some time.

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Question:
What is “open roof deformity” in reference to a rhinoplasty?  How can this be avoided or fixed?

Answer:
An open roof deformity is when a hump has been taken off the top of the nose or nasal dorsum and this leaves an opening between the side bones and the cartilage of the septum in the middle.  This is essentially a flat spot and we get rid of this by making lateral osteotomies, which are along the bone where the side of the nose meets the cheek.  This allows these bones to be fractured inward and this, therefore, closes this open roof deformity.

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Question:
How exactly is fat removed from the donor site and is this a painful process?

Answer:
Fat is harvested or removed from the donor site using simple liposuction.  It is then harvested and processed before it is re-injected as graft to the face.  So, the donor site is quite easily treated.  There really is minimal recovery involved with it and classically very minimal discomfort in that area as well since typically relatively small amounts of fat are harvested in most individuals.  Due to this, the donor site typically does not change visually in any significant way.

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Question:
Do most plastic surgeons have experience in performing nose jobs on patients of ethnicity?

Answer:
I certainly do not feel that all plastic surgeons have significant experience in rhinoplasty, but for those that do have significant experience in rhinoplasty I am sure the far majority of them would have experience performing rhinoplasties on patients of ethnicity, but I am also sure that is highly dependent on the area of the country that they practice in and the surrounding patient population base.  I would just simply ask the surgeon if he or she has a significant amount of experience operating on noses like yours and, of course, look at their before and after pictures and you will see whether they have extensive experience on noses with ethnicity or not.

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Question:
Does swelling fade sooner after closed rhinoplasty compared to open rhinoplasty?

Answer:
My personal opinion is that an external approach or open approach creates a bit more swelling in the tip area that can take a bit longer to resolve when compared to a closed or internal approach surgery.  This should in no way persuade the patient or the surgeon as to what approach to perform since the difference is quite minimal and ultimately recovery is very similar.

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