I am having a septoplasty soon, which I understand will not fix the uneven lower lateral cartilage on one side of my nose. I do not want to touch the bridge of my nose at all. I just want to reduce one side. Is that possible? What is the cost and what would it entail?
March 10, 2016
Answer: Nasal Septal Deviation and Nasal Tip Asymmetry Thanks for sharing your photos and concerns. It is common to consider improving the shape and appearance of the nose while undergoing septoplasty. You appear to have lovely features with thin skin and nasal tip asymmetry. Cartilage harvested from your septum and the time of your septoplasty is perfect for use in a rhinoplasty requiring cartilage grafts, as in your case. I can appreciate you wanting natural changes and limiting your surgery to just the tip. I recommend you spend some time in consultation with a reputable, experience rhinoplasty specialist to discuss your goals. A complete nasal exam and computer imaging studies would be very helpful in planning your surgery. Careful planning should lead you to the best, natural outcome and eliminate your anxiety about nasal tip rhinoplasty. The cost and approach will vary for the non-insurance related portion of your case. Please discuss this in detail with your physician to best understand his/her fee schedule.
Helpful
March 10, 2016
Answer: Nasal Septal Deviation and Nasal Tip Asymmetry Thanks for sharing your photos and concerns. It is common to consider improving the shape and appearance of the nose while undergoing septoplasty. You appear to have lovely features with thin skin and nasal tip asymmetry. Cartilage harvested from your septum and the time of your septoplasty is perfect for use in a rhinoplasty requiring cartilage grafts, as in your case. I can appreciate you wanting natural changes and limiting your surgery to just the tip. I recommend you spend some time in consultation with a reputable, experience rhinoplasty specialist to discuss your goals. A complete nasal exam and computer imaging studies would be very helpful in planning your surgery. Careful planning should lead you to the best, natural outcome and eliminate your anxiety about nasal tip rhinoplasty. The cost and approach will vary for the non-insurance related portion of your case. Please discuss this in detail with your physician to best understand his/her fee schedule.
Helpful
March 10, 2016
Answer: Septorhinoplasty Candidate Dear Frostinad, A septorhinoplasty is a combined procedure addressing both aesthetics and function. You can't just reduce one cartilage to balance your nose. The nose is a three dimensional structure and when one portion is reduced you may have other areas become unbalanced. A consultation aided with digital imaging will be able to show you the proposed results and then the surgeon can go into detail with you regarding the techniques that will be used to attain the desired result. The functional portion of your surgery may be covered by insurance and the aesthetic portion will be out of pocket expense. If you are considering fixing the tip of your nose you should not separate the septoplasty from the rhinoplasty at different times. Make sure your surgeon is an expert in both aesthetics and function. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.
Helpful
March 10, 2016
Answer: Septorhinoplasty Candidate Dear Frostinad, A septorhinoplasty is a combined procedure addressing both aesthetics and function. You can't just reduce one cartilage to balance your nose. The nose is a three dimensional structure and when one portion is reduced you may have other areas become unbalanced. A consultation aided with digital imaging will be able to show you the proposed results and then the surgeon can go into detail with you regarding the techniques that will be used to attain the desired result. The functional portion of your surgery may be covered by insurance and the aesthetic portion will be out of pocket expense. If you are considering fixing the tip of your nose you should not separate the septoplasty from the rhinoplasty at different times. Make sure your surgeon is an expert in both aesthetics and function. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.
Helpful