Preservation rhinoplasty: how to restore your nose after injury
Autore:Nasal injuries are common in sport – particularly contact sports such as rugby. Because the nose doesn’t always heal properly on its own, the recovery process can leave your nose looking different to how it was before. Luckily, there is treatment that can help. Preservation rhinoplasty aims to restore an injured nose to its original form. We spoke with one of the UK’s leading rhinoplasty surgeons, Ms Lydia Badia, about how preservation rhinoplasty works.
Who is a good candidate for preservation rhinoplasty?
The best time to seek treatment is a couple of weeks after you’ve injured your nose. When you injure your nose badly you’ll need immediate attention if the nose is bleeding heavily, if it’s causing difficulty with breathing, or if there is a suspected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. After two weeks, the swelling will have settled and you will be in a good position to see a nose specialist.
However, it’s also possible to seek treatment years after your original injury. We often see patients with years-old injuries who have since developed scarring of the soft tissues on the nose. In other words, it’s never too late to see a specialist!
What happens when I see the specialist?
When you come to the clinic we will need to assess whether there is any misalignment of the nose, and therefore whether surgical treatment is necessary. This might involve taking a CT scan of your nose.
If there is little or no misalignment of the nose, then we might be able to treat you using non-surgical techniques. This generally involves the use of a filler such as hyaluronic acid to restore the shape of your nose.
Read more: Non-surgical rhinoplasty >
Even if surgery is necessary, we tend to use a biostimulatory filler to improve the collagen of the soft tissues of your nose prior to surgical reconstruction.
How does the filling process work?
We start by injecting your nose with local anaesthetic, then insert a small cannula. This stage is important – it involves breaking down any tight scars and preparing the area for the filler so that it spreads more evenly.
The filler itself has an immediate volumising effect, but it will be gradually reabsorbed by the body over a period of 6-8 weeks. During this time, the filler will cause the weak collagen in your nose to be denatured and new collagen to grow. This is a powerful way to restore the shape of the nose.
When do I have the surgery?
The rhinoplasty itself, if required, is carried out around three months after treatment with fillers. After this, it can take up to 18-24 months for the shape of your nose to settle.
Read more: what to expect from a rhinoplasty >
If you’d like to discuss nose restoration and your treatment options, book a consultation with Ms Lydia Badia today .
