What are the advantages of rhinoplasty?
What a nose operation can give you, and for how long
A nose operation may improve the structure of the nose and how well you breathe through it, on top of changing how it looks. Whether those gains hold as your face ages is the part to ask about.
Appearance, function or both
Some people come to rhinoplasty for the look of the nose, some for how it works, and some for both. Which advantages apply to you is a question for a surgeon who has examined your nose.
Advantages that last
For a plain description of the operation and its aims, start with a national plastic surgery society's page on rhinoplasty. A large hospital system also explains rhinoplasty, including surgery and recovery, with before and after context.
An advantage is only worth counting if it lasts, so ask what the surgeon expects to change over the years and how long after surgery they judge a result.
If you want a sense of how common the operation is, that society publishes plastic surgery statistics. If breathing is part of what you want from surgery, the AAFPRS, a professional society for facial plastic surgeons, has a page on functional rhinoplasty to read before a consultation.
Weighing gains against downsides
- Write down the one or two changes you want most.
- Ask the surgeon which of those changes are realistic for your nose.
- Ask what the result is expected to look like years from now.
- Ask what the downsides are, so you can weigh them against the advantages.
Naming the advantage you want
An advantage you cannot describe in specific terms is hard to judge afterward. Be specific at the consultation.