People of all ethnicities and backgrounds are interested in cosmetic surgery. In fact, ethnic plastic surgery is on the rise, and African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanic-Americans all ask for ethnic rhinoplasty more than any other cosmetic procedure. And it’s not just women who choose to have surgery on their noses. Male nose jobs are also on the rise. In the past, the goal of ethnic rhinoplasty was to make people’s noses look more like those of white people. Most people today want to keep their ethnicity and choose small changes to their appearance instead. This is often the case for Asians who want to make a crease in their “single eyelids” by getting Asian double eyelid surgery.
Consultation for Ethnic Rhinoplasty
For ethnic rhinoplasty, the first consultation is very important. Tell your surgeon what about your nose you don’t like and what you might want to change. Bring pictures of how you want your new nose to look to show the doctor. Plastic surgeons can also show you how your new nose will look on your face by using high-tech computer imaging. During this appointment, your surgeon will help you figure out if your goals and expectations are reasonable. He or she will also check your skin, the strength of your cartilage, and the shape of your bones. If grafting is needed, he or she will also look at how much cartilage is available.
It is very important to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in ethnic rhinoplasty because ethnic rhinoplasty has its own challenges. Due to a brown pigment in the skin, people with darker skin are more likely to get scars and color changes (melanin). Also, some types of skin that are common among people of color may be thicker and oilier than fair skin. These things pose technical and aesthetic challenges that are best dealt with by a surgeon who has done a lot of ethnic rhinoplasty.
Procedure for Ethnic Rhinoplasty
The ethnic rhinoplasty procedure is different for each person’s race, nose shape, and desired look. For example, the African American nose may have thicker nasal skin, shorter nasal bones, a wide base, and large, open nostrils. A typical Asian nose, on the other hand, has a bulbous tip and a low, wide, flat nasal bridge. Hispanic-Americans usually have thick skin on their noses, a wide bridge, and a wide, thick base. People from other ethnic groups may also have unique features and patterns on their faces.
Ethnic rhinoplasty can subtly make a nose bigger or smaller, change the shape of the tip of the nose, or change any other feature. To help shape the tip of a flat nose, extra cartilage is sometimes grafted onto the bones. If the base is wide, your doctor might have to make up to three cuts to make it smaller.
Most ethnic rhinoplasty is done as an open surgery, which means that the cuts are made in the thin strip of skin that runs between the nostrils (the columella). The surgeon then lifts the skin and soft tissue off the nose’s bones and cartilage so he or she can see the nose’s anatomy. If you don’t need the tip of your nose to be changed, the rhinoplasty can be done as a closed procedure, which means the cut is made inside your nose.
The rhinoplasty will be done either with local anesthesia and sedation through an IV or with general anesthesia. It can be done in a hospital or a place where people don’t stay overnight. If you are not staying overnight, make plans for someone to drive you home after the procedure.
Recovery from Ethnic Rhinoplasty
For the first 24 to 72 hours, the patient might not be able to breathe through their nose because the septum will be packed to help stop bleeding and swelling. After rhinoplasty, patients might feel pain and/or nausea. Your doctor can give you painkillers to help you feel better. During the first few days, you may bleed a little.
Skin that is thicker tends to swell more than skin that is thin. Because of this, swelling may take longer to go down after an ethnic rhinoplasty. For the first 24 hours after surgery, keep your head up to reduce swelling and pain. After an ethnic rhinoplasty, some surgeons may use steroid injections to get rid of too much swelling. Arnica Montana is a good natural treatment for swelling that has been shown to work.
During the first week after surgery, don’t do anything that could hurt your nose. After a rhinoplasty, you can’t blow your nose. As a general rule, you will wear a cast for the first week after rhinoplasty. During the second week, you will be taped, and for the next six to eight weeks, you will tape your nose at night to reduce swelling even more.
Risks and Complications of Ethnic Rhinoplasty
Every surgery has risks, and ethnic rhinoplasty is no different. There is a chance of getting an infection, bleeding, having trouble breathing, not being happy with the way it looks, needing more surgeries, having a septal perforation (a small hole in the septum that causes turbulence that makes a whistle when a person speaks or sings), having problems with the anesthesia, or even dying. After an ethnic rhinoplasty, you may also have scarring and color changes. Your plastic surgeon should talk to you about the risks of rhinoplasty before it happens.
Ethnic Rhinoplasty Cost in Dubai
The average cost of an ethnic rhinoplasty in Dubai is between 20,000 AED and 30,000 AED. The cost includes the fee for the surgery, the fee for the anesthesia, and the facility fee.