Normal To Share Rhinoplasty Surgical Plan Details With Surgeon Post-Consultation?

asked 4 months ago by kenny48
Latest answer by Jay Calvert, MD
Question viewed 244 times
Tags: plan, surgeon

Following a detailed consultation and evaluation for rhinoplasty is it ok to ask the doctor to share with you the surgical plan in detail, with the actual amount of change proposed for each nasal area? For example the following - Reduce projection of tip in profile view by 5mm. Nasolabial angle to stay the same. Reduce tip width in frontal view by 2mm. Reduce width of bridge in frontal view by 2mm. Maintain radix height at same level. Reduce length of nostril opening in profile view by 2mm.

10 answers to Normal To Share Rhinoplasty Surgical Plan Details With Surgeon Post-Consultation?

Surgical Plan in Rhinoplasty

It is always good to go over the surgical plan prior to moving to surgery. I find that the more a patient understands the plan, the better they will be at helping to achieve success in their own operation. Information at every step of the way makes a difference.

Jay Calvert, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Discussing details of surgical plans prior to rhinoplasty

Communication is of the utmost importance regarding the rhinoplasty procedure. Trying to pin down the surgeon with the exact amount of millimeters of change in each location of the nose is impossible to do prior to surgery. You need to trust that your surgeon understands your desired results and allow him/her some artistic flexibility to create a new nose. There is too much variability in the healing process with all parts of the nose coming together to affect change; the... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Surgeon and Patient Share Surgical Plan

You should very carefully review the surgical plan with your surgeon. However, the exact measurements you're asking for are not realistic. Surgeons are dealing with living tissue, not building a cabinet. Intra-operative findings such the contour and strength of the cartilage may change the figures you're requesting. However, the size and relationships of the parts of the nose are important. At some point you have to give up control and trust your surgeon. more

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Normal To Share Rhinoplasty Surgical Plan Details With Surgeon Post-Consultation?

You can certainly ask to speak with the Rhinoplasty Surgeon again and go over the surgical plan in detail. The overall aesthetics, of the proposed plan, is what you should focus on...not the exact mm's things will be manipulated IMHO.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

You must have comfort about your rhinoplasty.

Hi kenny48; I assume you are questioning the wisdom of having another discussion with your cosmetic plastic surgeon after consultation. That after you have had time to review the recommendations and study more, you would like more information on the exact surgical plan. Assuming I am correct, I think you have a very sound concept. It is important for the patient to understand and know as much as possible before committing to any elective surgery. Remember that... more

Robert Kotler, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty plan

It is certainly reasonable to discuss the plan with you regarding the surgery. As for exact mm's of excision this is usually a "guesstimate" and the exact removal is decided in the OR.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty

Patients who request specific millimeter changes in body structures are a red flag. Any surgeon who performs the procedure is asking for an unhappy patient no matter what the surgical result is because patients concerned with that much detail will never be happy. I hope you realize that this format of posting questions and receiving answers lacks the face to face direct communication required for you to make an informed decision regarding your surgery. My response to your... more

Aaron Stone, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Nose Surgery Planning; Cooperation or Suncontracting?

I prefer to elicit my patient's complaints about his/her nose. I then explain to him/her what anatominal structures are responsible for those features and how it could be corrected. But, I know of no surgeon who discusses his surgical plan using millimeters and angles. It sounds as if you have a surgical plan which you are trying to subcontract to a surgeon to execute for you. Such behavior is frequently suggestive of a body dusmorphic disorder and is likely to result in an... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Unpredictabilities in a rhinoplasty

Even if your surgeon follows a surgical plan exactly to that specification, the unpredictability in the amount of swelling, scarring bruising and inflammation means that none of the exact surgical plan can guarantee a particular result. If, for example, your surgeon does 5mm of a particular part of the rhinoplasty and you end up with 1mm of swelling this will alter the final result. Your surgeon won't know if you will have 1mm, 2mm, 3mm or more swelling. No one will also know how long it... more

Taimur Shoaib, MD
Glasgow Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty Surgical Plan

Kenny, none of what you want can be predicted to your specifications. Were you to come to my office I would definitely tell you that and also would not do the surgery as your expectations for the procedure are just not realistic. That guarantees an unhappy patient no matter how skillful the surgery.