Richardson’s Surgical Protocol for a Rhinoplasty
It’s absolutely essential to educate about the protocol in the pre-operative phase and post-operative phase of a Rhinoplasty procedure here at Richardsons Dental and Craniofacial Hospital.
Rhinoplasty Pre-operative phase:
Once there is a patient, our surgeon thoroughly examines to decipher as to what kind of Rhinoplasty is needed. Most of the rhinoplasty procedures performed are subtle for aesthetic purposes. Moreover, functional issues like breathing problems, smelling problems, nasal blockage, etc. Complete rhinoplasty is suggested. There are Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty methods as well where fillers are used and the change is permanent.
There are open rhinoplasty and closed rhinoplasty which decision is made by the surgeon. There is no ‘real’ rule but it all depends on the experience and the expertise of the surgeon.
Preparatory work involves taking good quality photographs for Photography Analysis. Next is the discussion the surgeon needs to have with a patient. Sometimes the patients ‘ expectations are way too much that the surgeon has to explain what is done. Other times the patient is not aware of what can be done that the surgeon has to educate them. It’s a basic rapport that a surgeon and patient build. There are some basic blood tests. Whenever there is a revision Rhinoplasty i.e., secondary, tertiary a CBCT Scan is done to know about what the previous surgeon has done.
Post-operative Phase:
Post-operation there are no diet restrictions. The nose is blocked with some silicone splints or nose packs and the first two days can be difficult for the patient. There is no much pain, but there is usually puffiness and a blocked nose. We also administer some anti-histamine drugs which cause the patient drowsiness, sleepiness, malice, etc. From Day 3 onwards the healing is really quick. The patients have splints on their nose. The patients are strictly advised not to touch them. Apart from them, the patient might get some bruising around the eyes because we perform osteotomy on the nose. Bruising can come on the side and cause conjunctival ecchymosis. We recommend the patient to take a week to ten days off for a major procedure and a day or two for a minor procedure.