Wearing Eyeglasses after Rhinoplasty?

We recommend that patients don’t wear eyeglasses for at least four weeks following rhinoplasty. During this period the nasal bones aren’t totally healed and slight pressure can cause distortion, indentation and secondary nasal deformities.

In patients who are dependent upon their eyeglasses alternative strategies are occasionally necessary. When nasal splints are present, eye glasses can be placed directly on top of these stable structures without concern. The splints are usually removed after the first week and other approaches become 

We often recommend taping the eyeglasses to the forehead. In some cases additional padding can be attached to the nasal eyeglass pads as well. 

When patients require eyeglasses to function these maneuvers represent a significant disruption of daily activities. With this in mind, it’s important to remember that the benefits of rhinoplasty will last an entire life time.

Bruising After Rhinoplasty

Bruising and swelling following rhinoplasty varies from patient to patient. Several factors may contribute to bruising and these include the surgical techniques, wound healing characteristics of the patient, and the medical management of the patient in the pre and post periods.

The type of rhinoplasty performed may significantly impact bleeding and bruising. Patients who have their nasal bones fractured to narrow the nose are more likely to have postoperative bruising than those who don’t have nasal infracture. There are also significant differences in wound healing characteristics of individual patients. Some have greater tendencies toward bruising than others.

In the preoperative and postoperative periods, several maneuvers have been shown to decrease bruising. It’s important to stop Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Herbal supplements, and nonprescription drugs and vitamins.
   
After surgery, elevation of the head, ice compresses, and splinting all help to minimize bruising and swelling. It’s also important to avoid activities that will elevate blood pressure and potentially increase bruising. For this reason, strenuous activity should be avoided for at least six weeks.
  
It’s important to realize that swelling and bruising are a normal part of rhinoplasty surgery. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative maneuvers may minimize bruising , but they won’t make it disappear entirely.

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Recovery following rhinoplasty for most patients is less difficult than they expect. In the immediate post-operative period, they can anticipate pain, swelling, bruising, and congestion associated with difficulty breathing through the nose. Pain following rhinoplasty is easily controlled with narcotic pain medications in the first 48 hours.  After 48 hours, most patients are switched to double strength Tylenol.

Patients typically have bruising and swelling following rhinoplasty and this is more noticeable if the nasal bones are fractured. This typically lasts one to two weeks following surgery. The swelling and bruising obviously affects the patient’s appearance postoperatively. It also leads to swelling of the internal nasal structures, which leads to congestion and difficulty breathing through nose.

The Management of Breast Asymmetry

Breast asymmetry is an extremely common problem amongst women. In most cases, this is relatively minor and women aren’t bothered by it. Occasionally, it can be severe and treatment is necessary.

A multitude of options can be used to treat this problem. These may include breast reduction, breast lift, breast augmentation, or various combinations of these procedures.

It’s important to realize every patient is unique. They have specific aesthetic goals and unique anatomic findings. The specific treatment for any individual patient will depend entirely upon these issues.

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

It’s important for patients to be comfortable with their choice of plastic surgeon before proceeding with cosmetic surgery. When choosing a surgeon, several issues should be considered. These include the surgeon’s training, certification, and experience.

Completion of a plastic surgery residency is an essential requirement when picking a surgeon. Although it seems obvious that cosmetic surgery is a procedure that should be performed by someone trained in plastic surgery, this is not always the case. There are many physicians who perform cosmetic surgery who haven’t completed plastic surgery training. They frequently refer to themselves as cosmetic surgeons and have trained in a variety of other areas.

Board-certification is also extremely important. This means that your surgeon has undergone testing and peer review. He or she has satisfied certain criteria that are associated with surgical excellence.

One of the most important factors is your surgeon’s level of experience. Surgeons who have extensive experience with aesthetic surgery tend to have higher success rates.

The Ideal Age for Rhinoplasty

Several variables should be considered when determining the appropriate age for rhinoplasty surgery. These variables tend to make each patient’s situation unique. As a general rule, it’s important for patients to reach both physical and emotional maturity before proceeding with surgery.

Physical maturity is important for several reasons. Operating on the nose before growth has stabilized can have significant consequences. Under these circumstances, continued growth following rhinoplasty surgery can result in nasal changes that may alter the appearance of the nose. In addition, rhinoplasty surgery performed at an early age has the potential to disrupt facial growth. This can result in flattened cheekbones and even malocclusion.

Emotional maturity is also extremely important. For the most part, this procedure is irreversible and young patients must understand the significance of their decision. The nose is located in the center of their face and their appearance will be altered forever.

Mini Tummy Tuck vs. Full Tummy Tuck

Pregnancy has a significant impact on a woman’s body, and nowhere is this more noticeable then the abdomen. This area develops excess, saggy skin, weakened muscles, and stretch marks. Despite diet and exercise, most women are unable to reverse these changes and this ultimately affects their self-image and self-esteem. Treatment options are limited and in most cases involve either abdominoplasty or mini abdominoplasty.

Abdominoplasty is performed by making a lower abdominal skin incision and then lifting the skin and subcutaneous tissue to the level of the rib cage. This typically requires detaching the belly button, which allows more skin to be removed. The muscles are then tightened, excess skin removed, and the belly button re-attached in proper position.

Recovery Following Facelifts

Facelift recovery varies from patient to patient and depends on a large number of variables. Just as every patient is unique, the chosen procedure for he or she is unique as well. The differences in wound-healing characteristics and the type of procedure performed account for variations in facelift recovery.

Most patients feel pretty good in about four to five days, but their primary concerns are when they will look good enough to go out in public. Recovery following facelift surgery may last for months, but most patients feel they can go out in public in about two weeks. At this point, most of the bruising and swelling have resolved. Many patients adjust their hairstyle to hide their incisions and use make-up as well.

Breast Augmentation & Under Wire Bras

We generally avoid using under wire bras for six to eight weeks following breast augmentation. There are two reasons for this approach. First, when patients undergo sub muscular placement of breast implants, the pectoral major muscle may undergo spasm in the early post-operative period. This may force the implant in an upward direction and lead to malposition. When this situation arises, we utilize compression to force the implant in a downward direction. An under wire bra would have the opposite effect.

Another reason for avoiding under wire bras in the immediate post-operative period is the potential for the bra to irritate a fresh surgical incision.  An infamammary incision would be directly beneath the under wire bra and this might lead to irritation of the incision.

Signs of Breast Implant Leakage

In the majority of patients undergoing breast augmentation, implants last a lifetime. Occasionally, implants deflate and need to be replaced.

Current data suggests that implants deflate at a rate of 1% at one year and 3% at three years. Over time, this number can be expected to grow. Implants may deflate with no apparent cause or may deflate secondary to trauma.

When saline implants deflate, the diagnosis is relatively easy to make. These implants lose volume and flatten quickly. Silicone implants present a much more difficult problem when they deflate. Rupture of silicone implants may not be apparent for years.

Signs of deflation include soreness, redness, loss of volume, change in shape, and sometimes, capsular contracture. These signs may be subtle and a history of trauma may be the only early indicator.

Cosmetic Surgery for Men in Omaha, Nebraska

A new study from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows an increase in surgical procedures among men from 2009 to 2010. According to the study of 1,000 male patients, over 1.1 million surgical and minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures were performed last year alone.

Computer Imaging for your Cosmetic Surgical Procedures

Once you’ve chosen your board certified plastic surgeon for your cosmetic surgical procedure, the next step is to schedule a consultation. At this stage, all your questions about your procedure will be answered. How long does surgery take? Will there be pain and swelling? Is there noticeable scarring from the procedure? What are the risks involved? How soon can I return to work?

Patients often ask, “What type of results can I expect after surgery?” During your initial consultation at Surgical Images, your physician can simulate a “post-op” blueprint of your surgical results. Imaging is most commonly used with the following procedures: