Before surgery, rhinoplasty patients can ‘try on’ their new noses

Q: I’ve always wanted to have my nose done but I’m not ready for surgery quite yet. Is there any way I can see what my nose would look like and is it reason- ably accurate?

A: Nose surgery is a very important operation and you should only do it when you are mentally and emotionally ready for it. There are several ways that you can “try on ” a new nose.

You should make an appointment to see a facial plastic or plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty (nose surgery). If you are also having trouble breathing, it is important that you see a physician with a background in airway management.

Prior to making the appointment, ask if the physician has the ability to image you. Imaging is a technique that will allow you to see what you might look like with different types of noses. Obviously, you want to make sure that your doctor can actually do what he shows you he can do. You can determine this by asking your physician to show you before and after pictures, as well as showing you a patient that they imaged and what they actually got.

Injecting fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm is another way to see what you might look like.

A technique known as nonsurgical rhinoplasty has become a very popular technique, in which you may get injected with fillers in the nose that will give you an idea of what your nose might look like. Clearly, there is a limitation of what this can do.

While this technique sounds very easy, it can be dangerous and devastating. It is imperative that you see a physician who knows nasal anatomy quite well and knows how to treat a potential problem.

Risks include blindness, skin damage due to injections into blood vessels and allergic reactions. Although these are rare, your physician should be aware and able to treat the problem. One method is to inject hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks up the filler with little or no side effects.

Finally, if you decide to have your nose done, make sure you pick an experienced surgeon who does many rhinoplasties a year.

Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@ miamiplasticsurgery.com. For more information, videos, and before-and-after photos, follow @carloswolfmd and @mpsmedspa on Instagram.