This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other. We will initially ask you about your medical history that could be pertinent to treatments we may offer. We will also ask you about the kinds of changes you would like to make. Your photos will be taken in standardized positions. Dr. Yoo will then examine you and your nose. Based on this information, he will create a tailored surgical plan that addresses your goals and takes into consideration what is possible based on your individual anatomy. We may be able to make photo simulations to help you visualize an approximation of the surgical outcome.

Rhinoplasty is usually performed under general anesthesia on an “outpatient” basis, meaning you can go home the same day. The surgery itself takes anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the complexity.  

Your cosmetic rhinoplasty will be performed at SKY, in our fully accredited surgery center. Operating out of our own onsite surgery center allows us to better control your patient experience. The check-in process is quicker, the entire surgery team is focused on only you, and you are assigned a dedicated recovery nurse. The anesthesiologists and nurses on our surgery team also work in San Diego’s largest hospitals, ensuring you receive the best standard of care.

We recommend planning for a week of recovery at home. Dr. Yoo may place a splint on the outside of your nose for the first week to provide support during the most critical healing phase. Your nose and the surrounding area will be swollen and possibly bruised. Most bruising resolves within 10 days. The swelling subsides more gradually. Dr. Yoo likes to say you’ll be “restaurant ready” in two weeks, meaning when you are out in public, most people will not be able to tell that you had surgery.

Dr. Yoo will want to see you after 1 week, 1 month, 4 months and 8 months. While most swelling resolves within the first few weeks, the swelling around the tip of your nose resolves very gradually, over the course of the year.

Typical rhinoplasty cases last about 2 - 3 hours depending on the complexity and areas to be addressed.

Age is not as much of a factor as growth maturity. Nasal surgery should not be performed until someone has reached or is close to reaching skeletal, or more specifically, craniofacial maturity. For females, this is often by age 16 and males by 17. If you are still growing rapidly or your shoe size is increasing every 6 months, then it’s probably best to wait. If you expect (or hope) to grow 1-2 inches more, this is not much of an issue as 1-2 inches in height does not amount to much in the way to nasal growth. On the other hand, if you are in your growth spurt and may grow 4-6 inches more, then waiting is the most prudent decision.

A skilled rhinoplasty surgeon will be able to tailor your surgery and to allow a natural appearing result. It is important to set goals that allow your nose to fit in with your other facial features. The nose should not be the “star” of the face. It needs to be a “supporting cast member”. This is illustrated by thinking about a couple of movie stars or models that you think are especially beautiful. Chances are, you don’t think they are attractive because of their noses. They probably have other striking features such as their eyes, lips, cheek bones, jaw line, etc. People notice a bad nose, but usually not a good one

(Click here to be taken to our nasal soft tissue anatomy educational tutorial)

For many patients we can, but not for everyone. Unfortunately, we don’t know this until we take your photos and find out what kind of change you’d like to make. When we are able to make photo simulations, it is very important to understand that the purpose of these is to give you a general idea of what you would look like with the proposed changes. But, the images will have variability from the actual result. It is not technically possible to show you in great detail what the nose will end up looking like with a high degree of certainty. Everyone heals differently. Sometimes patients focus on small details of the simulation and this is often outside the level of variability in outcome. Dr. Yoo believes that the simulations can be very useful to make sure you and he are on the same page, but a far more reliable indicator of outcome happiness is whether prospective patients like a surgeon’s before and after photos. These are actual results and not simulations. Any surgeon with photo editing skill can show a prospective patient a great simulated nose, but the ability to deliver the result is not always there.

This depends on the goals you are trying to achieve. If only tip work is being performed, then often the nasal bones do not need to be broken. On the other hand if a large bump is being removed or the nose needs to be narrowed, then frequently the nasal bones will need to be broken. The video below explains the reasoning behind this.

If the nasal bones need to be broken, then you will probably get black eyes for 1-2 weeks. If the nasal bones do not need to be broken, you may still get back eyes, but the likelihood is lower.

Swelling, pain and inflammation are incrementally (not exponentially) worse.

There are different stages of recovery. You will have a splint on the outside of your nose and possibly stitches under your nose for 1 week. You will be noticeably swollen for 2 weeks. Approximately 80% of the swelling will be gone by 3 weeks. The last 20% of the swelling takes several months to subside. Everyone is different and the amount of swelling an individual can expect is dependent on many factors including what maneuvers were performed during rhinoplasty, how well they take care of their nose post-operatively, and very importantly, the thickness of their skin. Thicker skin swells more and takes longer to go away.

Dr. Yoo performs both open and closed rhinoplasty techniques. The plan is tailored to the goals of surgery and your specific anatomy. Revision surgery and larger changes usually require an external (open) approach.

The scar is generally very inconspicuous once healed. For the first few months, it will be pink compared to the surrounding skin. Once healed, it will look like the photo below. The scar is highlighted by the blue arrows. Click on the image to enlarge.