The Aging Rhinoplasty

Often when people think about the results of plastic surgery - like rhinoplasty - they think about the short term results. But it’s also important to consider the long term results. For instance, what are rhinoplasty results overtime? Does a rhinoplasty “age”? With rhinoplasty, what happens as we age is an especially important consideration. In fact, having a nose surgery is a catalyst for change. The minute your surgery is performed, the structure of your nose is altered, and some levels of changes are inevitable.

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Since your nose is so prominent, your nose job should be done so that it looks good even as time goes by. To achieve lasting results, outstanding surgical skill is necessary. While many surgeons may be able to do a nose job that looks good in the first year, it is much more challenging to create a nose that will last over time. With Dr. Rahban’s extensive experience with a wide variety of rhinoplasty techniques, he has become an expert in the aging rhinoplasty.

The most popular age range for rhinoplasties is between the ages of 20 - 29. This means there are hundreds of thousands of people who have - or will have - a rhinoplasty that has aged for decades. Dr. Rahban says that many people are under the impression that once they get their rhinoplasty done, their nose is set in time. This misconception could not be farther from the truth. One important consideration is what a rhinoplasty actually does to your nose. When rhinoplasties are performed, often these surgeries are “reductive” nose jobs. This means bone or cartilage is removed from the nose to make it smaller.

While this can look good in the short term, it sets you up to have a rhinoplasty that can fail as years go by. Removing the underlying structure of the nose is similar to removing support beams from a building. It’s easy to imagine that a building with fewer support beams would be more likely to cave in or crumble as it ages. The same is true for the nose. Without the strength of the nose’s “support beams,” you can expect that an aging rhinoplasty may not maintain its structure.

How are Dr. Rahban’s rhinoplasties more able to stand the test of time? Dr. Rahban performs “reconstructive” nose jobs instead. This means that while he is still making the nose smaller, he is reinforcing the structure of the nose to ensure long-lasting, excellent results.

An aging rhinoplasty is an important consideration for anyone thinking about having a nose job. The initial results you get are only the first step. How your nose looks after years and decades is critical to your appearance and happiness with your rhinoplasty over time.

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What Changes Can You Expect to See in a Rhinoplasty as it Ages?

The first thing to keep in mind is that when you have a nose job, your nose is initially swollen. Over time that swelling will go away, and scar tissue will form. These very first steps are already signs of the underlying changes in the foundation of your nose. The aging process is initiated by the surgery. Most people are prepared for swelling and recovery, but are less prepared for what may happen to their rhinoplasty after 5 or 10 years.

What Factors Can Affect How My Rhinoplasty Changes With Age?

There is no way to know for sure how one person’s nose will look after decades, or exactly how their rhinoplasty will age, but here are factors that can have an influence:

Techniques used during your rhinoplasty (this is of utmost importance)
Your genetics
Trauma to the face
Thickness of the skin on your nose

The number one decision you can make to have a positive experience with your rhinoplasty as it ages, is to choose a surgeon who has extensive experience using advanced surgical techniques which will mitigate the risks of negative effects of an aging rhinoplasty. Second of all, you can lower your risk of some elements of aging that can affect the appearance of your face - like sagging skin or loss of elasticity - by making good lifestyle choices. These include avoiding smoking and limiting sun exposure. Remember that no level of lifestyle choices can overcome a rhinoplasty that was not performed to last well over time. Your initial surgery will be the number one factor in how your nose job ages.

Why Do We See Celebrities With ‘Failing’ Nose Jobs from Years Ago?

Many of us have first-hand experience of what a ‘failing’ nose job looks like. We sometimes see these significant changes in the noses of celebrities who had their rhinoplasties done in their 20s, and are now in their 40s or 50s. Their noses look much different as their rhinoplasties have aged. Why did this happen?

Dr. Rahban explains that the reason goes back to the techniques used during their original surgery. Traditionally, rhinoplasty is “reductive” which means the surgeons use techniques that focus on making the nose smaller. Many of these celebrities likely had a reductive nose job.

Often times this is done by removing cartilage or bone. The benefit of this is it allows surgeons to create what our patients want. In many cases the request is for a nose that is smaller, ‘cuter’, or more feminine. However, reductive rhinoplasty can also cause an unwanted appearance over time. The problem is that when surgeons make the nose smaller by removing bone and cartilage, they are removing some of the structure of the nose. As a result, many of these people who had nose jobs early on, found that over time their nose was collapsing. These changes may take 10, 15, of 20 years to start showing - but in some cases we see signs of ‘collapsing’ as soon as 5 years after a strictly reductive rhinoplasty.

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When Dr. Rahban does a consultation with a prospective patient, he wants it to be two things above all others: thorough and honest. He will find out from you just what you want from cosmetic surgery. And he will tell you honestly if you can get the result you want, and how he can best help you do so.

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How are Today’s Rhinoplasties Different? And How Do These Rhinoplasties Relate to a Nose Job Aging Well?

Today, modern-day rhinoplasty such as those performed by Dr. Rahban, is reconstructive, instead of simply reductive. Reconstructive rhinoplasty allows Dr. Rahban to achieve the same outward results in terms of a nose that is smaller, cuter, or more feminine - but it has the significant advantage of not taking away from the strength of the nose’s foundation. This means that an aging rhinoplasty is substantially different than it was with reductive rhinoplasty. At the same time as enhancing the shape and profile of the nose, Dr. Rahban goes beyond the immediate cosmetic appearance and protects the results for years to come.

He takes cartilage, often from the septum of the nose, but also sometimes from the ear or rib - and he uses this cartilage to reinforce the areas in your nose that he anticipates could weaken over time. This reinforcement is not something that is visible, but a technique that protects the appearance and strength of your rhinoplasty as it ages. With these newer, more advanced techniques, you get better long term results than with the old-fashioned type of rhinoplasties. An aging rhinoplasty is less of a concern when you have your operation done with innovative techniques that allow for long term success.

Why Don’t All Surgeons Do Reconstructive Rhinoplasty?

Since reconstructive rhinoplasty techniques allow for longer term and more stable results, you might think that all cosmetic and plastic surgeons perform nose jobs this way. However, many surgeons are not skilled in the advanced rhinoplasty techniques that Dr. Rahban uses regularly. In addition, a reconstructive rhinoplasty takes significantly longer to complete. An advanced rhinoplasty can take 3 - 4 hours, and is often done “open”. This is a substantial increase in time and effort compared to a traditional rhinoplasty, which is often done in 1 hour, and is many times performed as a “closed” procedure.

Dr. Rahban feels that this extra time and care are critical in creating a nose job that will last through the aging process. If you look at celebrities that have had these older rhinoplasty procedures performed, you’ll see their noses are starting to have the classic deformities that we see when the nasal structure has not been reinforced. Dr. Rahban is aware of these potential dangers and uses techniques that will support the nose, instead of simply reducing it which allows for more chance of collapse as we age.

If I Had a Rhinoplasty Many Years Ago, and am Now Seeing Some Negative Effects of Aging on my Nose Job, What can be Done?

Patients who had rhinoplasties when they were younger, and perhaps did not have a surgeon who used the advanced techniques Dr. Rahban offers, may be candidates for revisional rhinoplasty. Additionally, even patients who have their rhinoplasties done with excellent surgical technique may want revisional surgery as time goes on.

A revisional surgery is a re-operation on the nose. During this procedure it is possible to create a stronger foundation for the nose, and repair issues that have presented themselves over the years. In some cases, a non-surgical or liquid nose job may provide the patient with the improved results they are looking for.

Dr. Rahban offers both surgical and non-surgical procedures to patients with aging rhinoplasties. If you have questions about an aging rhinoplasty, or rhinoplasty results over time, please get in touch with us. We are happy to answer your questions or schedule a consultation with Dr. Rahban.