Top Plastic Surgeon Reveals Nose Job Secrets-To-Success
The term “nose job” is so commonplace and widely-recognized today that many believe just any doctor with a “plastic surgeon” sign can successfully and safely recreate a beautiful nose. This just isn’t true.
Dr. P. Daniel Ward—a double board certified facial plastic surgeon with a flourishing practice in Utah—has performed thousands of nose jobs, and can attest that there is nothing simple about rhinoplasty.
He recently spoke with us to help patients better understand the intricacy of the procedure, as well as provide advice about what to look for when searching for a qualified plastic surgeon.
Regarding the actual procedure, Dr. Ward asserts that nasal surgery is universally regarded as the most difficult plastic surgery. He explains: “The nose has a little bone at the top, cartilage at the bottom, and lots of soft tissue all around. If any of those structures is compromised, the surgery will fail.”
Only a skilled plastic surgeon will know how much dorsum to remove, or what should be done with the lateral crus and caudal septum. Grafting cartilage, too, presents a high degree of difficulty. And the surgeon must understand the impact each nasal change will have on the patient’s ability to breathe.
“It is paramount that the nose, even with all of the changes, still performs its most essential function—allowing the person to breathe,” Dr. Ward explains.
Then there is the critically important matter of aesthetics. “Many patients see a nose they like—on another person, of course—and they want that nose for their face,” Dr. Ward explains. “This approach is a huge mistake. The complex relationship between the nose and other facial features rarely allows one person’s nose to be recreated on another person’s face.”
Said another way: Your face is unique. “The interplay between your nose, eyes, mouth, chin, and forehead is complex,” Dr. Ward explains. “Adjusting any of those features will have an impact on the other features. If done incorrectly, changes can actually have a negative effect.”
According to a recent study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, nasal adjustments are listed as the third most popular cosmetic surgery. In 2017, more than 218,000 patients received one or more of these nasal adjustments:
Removing a bump at the bridge of the nose
Narrowing a wide nose
Straightening a crooked nose
Reducing a prominent nasal tip
Adjusting a drooping nasal tip
Reshaping an injured nose
“The goal with each of these procedures is to improve the undesirable nose while preserving the elements of the face that make them unique,” Dr. Ward says. “As a result, each procedure must be tailored to the individual patient.”
“The goal with each of these procedures is to improve the undesirable nose while preserving the elements of the face that make them unique,” Dr. Ward says.
For these reasons, Dr. Ward highly recommends that patients work with only a board-certified plastic surgeon who has extensive training and experience. Be sure to examine the doctor’s work, too. “Patients should look for a plastic surgeon that has proven education, training, and experience—and one who can prove it with hundreds of before-and-after photos,” Dr. Ward explains.
Successful rhinoplasty not only improves the nose, it brings it into harmony with other elements of the face. By combining superior medical knowledge, training, and technical skill with artistry and a compassionate touch, superior plastic surgeons deliver a beautiful result that makes looking in the mirror a pleasurable experience.
