Can piezosurgery (for rhinoplasty) cause burns and nerve damage?

Question

Been reading about ultrasonic devices and was wondering can the device cause burns or damage nerve during rhinoplasty. Also what is the possible chance of nerve damage in general during any type of rhinoplasty

Manish H. Shah, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,Thanks for your question. Ultrasonic piezo rhinoplasty is very new. Few surgeons in the US perform the procedure. The high speed of the device generates heat. This heat is typically dissipated by constantly bathing the tissues in saline during procedure. The device uses a tiny spray to accomplish this. Burns are therefore possible but rare. Vibration can create temporary nerve dysfunction, but the numbness after rhinoplasty is due to the incisions used  in the nose to create exposure for surgery. Everyone complains of numbness after surgery, but most of it goes away. Some patients complain of persistent numbness though. Percentages vary and most aren't ultimately bothered by a tiny bit of numbness and learn to live with it.I hope this helps.Dr. Shah

William Portuese, MD · Answer

With a closed rhinoplasty approach, there's no skin incision on the outside of the nose, only two smaller incisions on the inside. There's less numbness with a closed rhinoplasty approach that open rhinoplasty approach, however the numbness is usually temporary and only lasts 1 to 2 months after the procedure. Rhinoplasty accomplishes changing the shape of the bone and cartilage structure underneath the skin.   Digital  Computer imaging would be helpful to understand what can be accomplished with the procedure upon your nose and facial features.For more information  and many examples, please see the link and the video below

Can piezosurgery (for rhinoplasty) cause burns and nerve damage?

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Can piezosurgery (for rhinoplasty) cause burns and nerve damage?

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Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.