RHINOPLASTY: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS

Rhinoplasty is performed to remodel the bone and cartilage structure of the nose and give it more harmonious proportions, but the aesthetic purposes can never be separated from the functional ones. In any case, today this intervention is much less invasive than in the past and post-surgical recovery is also faster, thanks to the new treatments based on hyaluronic acid.

When it comes to rhinoplasty, the widespread belief is that it is an intervention aimed in most cases only to improve an aspect of the nose that does not satisfy for reasons of shape, size or other. The reality is instead completely different, as explained by Dr. Francesco Klinger, Head of Plastic Surgery at the San Giuseppe Hospital Milan - Multimedica Group, because the main objective of the intervention must always be to respect and, possibly, improve the respiratory function, in perfect agreement with an aesthetic refinement: a harmonious and natural nose, with correct proportions and angles, will also be able to function optimally.

Among the causes that most frequently determine the need for intervention there are undoubtedly facial trauma, but also any deviations of the septum of non-traumatic origin can be resolved with rhinoplasty. Therefore, if on the one hand the distinction between aesthetic and functional rhinoplasty appears to be decidedly outdated today, on the other hand the improvement of surgical techniques has made it a simple, extremely safe and rather widespread operation, and not only among women: today about the 40% of the interventions concern the male sex.

What does the intervention consist of?

Depending on the patient's needs, two different surgical approaches are possible: closed and open rhinoplasty.

Closed rhinoplasty: provides, with access from the nostrils, the making of small incisions inside the nose with which the surgeon has the opportunity to intervene on bones and cartilage by modifying the structure of the skeleton.

Open rhinoplasty: more invasive than the "closed" technique and reserved for more complex corrections, open rhinoplasty is performed by incising the cartilage segment that separates the nostrils (columella) from the outside. In this way, it is possible for the surgeon to control the outcome of the surgery more directly.

The operation, most often performed under general anesthesia, has an average duration of one hour, but can range from a minimum of half an hour to a maximum of 2/3 hours, and in many cases a night's sleep is required. recovery.

Recovery times

First of all, the continuous improvement of surgical techniques now guarantees an extremely short post-operative recovery: bone and cartilage healing usually takes 7/8 days during which the nose is protected by a rigid brace; after this period, another ten days are required for the recovery of normal functionality of the nasal mucosa. The resumption of intense physical activity can usually take place within 2/3 weeks.

Although it tends to be conservative, rhinoplasty is still a surgical intervention that alters the integrity of the nasal mucosa and in particular of that fundamental mechanism for respiratory well-being called mucociliary clearance, which helps the removal of secretions. However, Dr. Klinger underlines that, from this point of view, a valid help comes from the treatments available today to patients, or from new practical devices with which it is possible to carry out nasal nebulizations of 0.3% hyaluronic acid capable of lubricating and revitalize the mucosa, favoring a prompt functional recovery of the nose. Guaranteeing faster rehabilitation, thanks to its biostimulating action that facilitates healing and cell regeneration, the hyaluronic acid used in the post-operative period is therefore a highly innovative element, which has made rhinoplasty significantly more "acceptable" by patients.

It is known that hyaluronic acid is a substance normally present in our tissues, essential for their elasticity; the precious characteristic of the administration through nebulizations, however, is that of making immediate availability at the level of the nasal mucosa. To regain full respiratory well-being, 15/20 days of daily nebulizations are usually sufficient, starting from the third day following the surgery.