Whether you’re considering having a nose job for cosmetic or functional purposes, you should take some time to learn everything you can about the process. Rave reviews and patient success stories can only do so much to prepare prospective patients for their rhinoplasty experience.
Dr. Behrooz A. Torkian, MD, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, offers the following information on rhinoplasty.
Rhinoplasty: The Consultation
The first step of the rhinoplasty process is scheduling a consultation for a nose job. The appointment is necessary for the surgeon to verify procedure suitability and for patients to determine their comfort and confidence levels.
The consultation is also when you should ask the surgeon everything you’ve wanted to know about rhinoplasty. No question or concern is overlooked. To provide optimal recommendations to patients, Dr. Torkian may delay candidacy decisions or offer additional or alternative cosmetic procedures.
Preparing for Rhinoplasty
How well you tolerate surgery, and the accuracy and quality of your results are highly influenced by how well you prepare for rhinoplasty. It’s not enough to choose a highly skilled, credible, and sought-after rhinoplasty surgeon to work on your nose. You’ll need to adjust your regular daily routine and make arrangements to ensure an optimal outcome.
Improve Your Diet
Not everything you eat is good for the body or skin. Also, nutritional deficiencies due to poor or erroneous dietary choices can spell trouble with your nose job results. In the weeks leading up to your procedure and afterward, make better food choices by drinking more fluids, eating more fiber, and consuming foods that are less taxing to your digestive system. Also, it’s a good idea for you to stock up on soft foods to eat in the days after your procedure as your nose and the surrounding areas will be extremely sensitive for a few weeks.
Watch Your Vitamin and Supplement Intake
If you take vitamins or health and beauty supplements, inform your surgeon before you schedule your procedure. Certain vitamins and supplements like vitamin E and ginseng can cause adverse interactions with the medications and anesthetics used during surgery. Depending on what they are, you might need to refrain from taking them or rely on alternatives until your nose job surgeon gives states it’s safe to resume taking them.
Also, refrain from NSAIDs, aspirin and herbal teas and supplements, alcohol, cigarettes, and tobacco products two to three weeks before rhinoplasty. If you’re interested in vitamins to take to help promote healing, you can’t go wrong with vitamin C, iron, and B supplements.
Stock Up on First Aid and Medications
After rhinoplasty, the surgical site will be sensitive for quite some time. And the numbing effects of medications administered during the procedure will eventually wear off. Once they do, you don’t want to be without meds or remedies to use for relief.
Stock up on ointments, nasal rinses, swabs or applicators, gauze, pain medications, and prescriptions before your surgery to avoid the inconvenience of having to get those items during your discharge home. You should also add compresses and other items that you can use to reduce swelling and discomfort during your first few weeks home after your nose job.
Put in Your PTO Request
Inform your employer that you need a few weeks off for surgery. During the first portion of your recovery, you’ll need to stay home to recover. Also, you’ll be wearing surgical bandages, which in addition to the bruising and swelling left behind by surgery, are not easy to mask or hide. The physical side effects of surgery are temporary, so are the bandages. Once the surgeon removes them and states it’s okay for you to do so, you can confidently return to work and many of your usual activities without the unattractive and cumbersome blemishes or wrappings of rhinoplasty.
It’s also a good time for you to tackle any strenuous tasks or outstanding obligations. For the beginning portion of rhinoplasty recovery, you’ll be on restricted activities to help minimize the risk of complications to protect your results.
Rest Up
It’s never too soon to start making changes to your schedule to ensure you get enough rest in the days ahead of your rhinoplasty surgery.
Arrange for Transportation
Patients receive surgical medications to minimize their discomfort during and after the procedure. These medications impair motor and cognitive functions, so patients must arrange for someone to transport them to and from their procedure.
Review All Preoperative Instructions and Follow Them
When scheduling patients for rhinoplasty, the surgeon provides instructions to help with rhinoplasty preparation. It’s important to review these guidelines and to discuss any concerns with the surgeon at any time in the days leading up to the procedure. Poor outcomes and less than desirable results are highest when patients ignore or refuse to adhere to their pre- and post-operative care instructions. Many issues and potential complications can be avoided with compliance.
Surgery Day
The night before surgery, you should not eat or drink unless instructed otherwise by your rhinoplasty surgeon. Nor should you consume or drink anything on the morning of your procedure. If you take medications, ask your surgeon if you should continue taking them as advised that morning, or wait and resume after surgery.
You may feel a bit anxious or apprehensive about what’s to come. That’s completely normal. Many patients experience some degree of rhinoplasty anxiety at first. Also, it’s important to wear loose-fitting clothing, leave all jewelry and accessories at home, and refrain from makeup and beauty products.
For more information on how to prepare for rhinoplasty, or if you have questions or concerns about the procedure, feel free to contact Dr. Behrooz Torkian, MD, at Torkian Facial Plastic Surgery.
