The Decision to Have Rhinoplasty (Chapter 1)

Have you ever wished you could change your nose?

What is holding you back? Is it lack of information? Probably not – the internet has brought a world of information to our fingertips. Perhaps it’s quite the opposite: you’ve been online for hours and have found yourself paralyzed by too much information.

In this day and age of information overload, information paralysis is quite common. The internet is full of opinions, but rarely is there a consensus on anything. Or maybe it’s not that you lack information at all, but you put off making a decision about your nose surgery because of cost, the thought of discomfort, the recovery time or just the fear of the unknown – what will my new nose look like? These are all legitimate concerns.

Having surgery is always cause for concern, not to mention elective cosmetic surgery. We see examples of bad rhinoplasty surgery all the time on entertainment TV and in celebrity magazines. However, thousands of rhinoplasty procedures are done in the United States every year, with successful outcomes and happy patients. I believe the key to this success is contained within the available information. This blog is designed to help you find and filter rhinoplasty information, with practical tips and advice, empowering you to select the information which is most useful to you, so that you can make the right choices for yourself.

As I search the medical literature, the quoted incidence of revision rhinoplasty is between 5% and 15%, which I feel is entirely too high. Would any of us buy a brand new car, knowing that we have a 1-in-6 chance of buying a lemon? Of course not – this is why we kick the tires, read reviews and do our own homework prior to making any big purchase. You should approach rhinoplasty (and for that matter, any elective cosmetic surgical procedure) the very same way.

When Your Nose Doesn’t Fit is intended to assist you in streamlining the entire pre-surgical process and help you make your dreams become a reality. The first step toward a successful rhinoplasty result should be recognizing that this process is a journey, not a race. Too often, patients pick up a doctor’s promotional brochure and automatically think, this credentials the doctor as an expert in this particular procedure. The same can be said about a radio, TV or print ad. This is paid advertising, not verification of competence. Friends and relatives may know of a surgeon who does nose surgery, which is a good place to start, but by no means does this mean this doctor is the right one for you.

Begin your journey with adequate preparation and planning. As the legendary college basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” So, what does good preparation and planning look like?

Well, let’s get started.