Is nose job appropriate for teens?

Rhinoplasty is a common cosmetic surgery that is usually an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. This means that you go to the surgery site and then go home the same day.

Getting a "nose job", which doctors call rhinoplasty, can be very simple or very complicated. If done correctly by an experienced surgeon, it can make a big difference in a person's appearance.

When can teens have a rhinoplasty?

Adolescents should not have rhinoplasty until the nose is the size of an adult. This usually happens to girls around the age of 15 or 16. It usually happens to boys a year or more.

What are some types of rhinoplasty?

• • Remove the hump on the nose
  • Smoothing the bridge
  • Deformation of the tip of the nose
  • Increase or decrease the size of the nostrils
  • Correction of the nose after an injury
  • Open the airways
  • Larger or smaller nose

Rhinoplasty can be done to change the appearance or for medical reasons. For example, some people may need surgery to repair a cartilage problem that separates one nostril from another. Others may want to make their nose smaller.

What are the risks of rhinoplasty?

There are risks with any type of surgery. These include bleeding, infection, and an allergic reaction to anesthesia. Risks of rhinoplasty include:

• • numb
  • Nosebleed
  • Wounds in the lower part of the nose
  • Bursting of small blood vessels on the surface of the skin
  • Inflation
  • Permanent nerve damage
  • Requires a second or third operation

Before having rhinoplasty, teens and their parents or guardians should talk to the surgeon and weigh all the risks and benefits. Honest communication between you, your parents, and your surgeon is critical to the success of the operation.

Many plastic surgeons spend a lot of time talking to teens before having surgery. They want to make sure the teen is mature enough to handle it, does it for the right reasons, and has realistic expectations about the outcome. For example, the notion that it changes your nose changes your whole life, and makes you more popular is unrealistic.

After rhinoplasty, recovery requires patience and support from family and friends. You should keep your head up for at least 24 hours after the operation. And there will be some pain and swelling (which can be controlled with medication and cold compresses).

Some people become frustrated with their swelling and appearance immediately after surgery. But when the swelling subsides, the redness goes away and the nose heals completely. This may take weeks, but most people like the results.

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