Rhinoplasty, also known as nasal reshaping, nose job, or nose surgery, is one of the top 5 cosmetic procedures performed in America. Year after year, more people opt to change the most prominent feature of their face to align with their personal image goals. Not surprisingly, there has been a large increase in advertising aimed at people who would like to change the size or shape of their nose.

While this in itself is not bad, Dr. Joshua Lampert, a board certified plastic surgeon offering rhinoplasty in Miami, cautions consumers to look farther than the promises and price tags offered by corporately owned and volume-based clinics. Rhinoplasty is considered by surgeons to be one of the most challenging procedures in plastic surgery. Not every surgeon has the experience, technical skill and artistic intuition to produce the aesthetic results desired with rhinoplasty. With board certification and vast experience in cranial surgery, Dr. Lampert delivers among the best nose surgery Miami has available.

Benefits of Rhinoplasty

Cosmetic rhinoplasty is the process of bringing the nose into harmony with the rest of the face. The nose is the most prominent feature of the face and is impossible to camouflage. Rhinoplasty can correct any of the following issues:

• Nose is too large or too small
• Nose is too short or too long
• Nose is too wide or too narrow
• Hooked or “plunging” tip and a hanging columella (junction of the upper lip and nose)
• Prominent dorsal hump, or a large bump or hump on the nasal bridge
• Crooked, deviated or asymmetric nose
• Bulbous tip or thick nasal tip
• Overly flared nostrils or wide nostril base
• Flat bridge or wide nasal bridge
• Protrusion – too much or too little

Many patients of various ethnic descent would like certain features softened or minimized. In the case of ethnic rhinoplasty, Dr. Lampert ensures that the nose is brought into balance without masking the patient’s ethnic heritage and identity.

Types of Rhinoplasty

All types of rhinoplasty address a particular problem or patient concern in regard to his or her nose size, shape, projection from the face, nostril contour, or nasal function. Rhinoplasties are most often done for purely cosmetic reasons for the majority of our Miami patients, and less often to restore full nasal functionality or correct abnormalities. Dr. Lampert excels in either and will be more than happy to help you.

Ethnic Rhinoplasty

Ethnic rhinoplasty is well sought after because no, one size does not fit all. Our physical attributes pay homage to our ancestry, our heritage, our personal ideals and our national sentiments. We're all different and when we want to stand out from the crowd for professional or personal reasons, we want to do so looking our very best. Preserving strong national roots is paramount, while making the slight or serious adjustments that suit a particular patient’s ideals.

For every ethnicity, a different concern is often up for common modification. Perfection is attained when a well-trained and thoroughly experienced cosmetic surgeon works closely with the patient seeking ethnic rhinoplasty to aesthetically accomplish his or her goals. Dr. Joshua Lampert fits that bill well and offers personal consultations on what results can be expected and attained.

Ethnic rhinoplasty includes but isn't limited to the following examples:

• A Middle Eastern Rhinoplasty can address a pronounced nasal hump, a wide or rounded nasal tip, and a downward-sloping or "drooping" tip.
• An African-American Rhinoplasty can be done to modify a wide, low nasal bridge, flared nostrils or a rounder than desired tip.
• Asian Rhinoplasty. The Asian demographic tends to have flatter profiles and bridges, and round nasal tips and, in the South East, may have longer noses with more pronounced bumps. Width of the nose bridge or tip can also be a common concern. Each of these can be well treated with Asian Rhinoplasty.
• Latin Rhinoplasty. Some of the more common nasal traits of Latinos include a nasal hump, thick nasal skin, and weak cartilage at the tip of the nose. A good surgeon will understand what subset of these characteristics you have, and how their beauties can be maximized.

Functional Rhinoplasty

Whether we are born with nasal or breathing problems or we develop them later in life, functional rhinoplasty is done as a medically necessary treatment to correct these breathing problems. It has the added benefit of being an opportunity to better suit your nose to your liking.

Revision Rhinoplasty

Revision rhinoplasty corrects a previous surgical procedure that wasn’t satisfactory to the patient or that caused some discomfort or abnormality. This is the most difficult of rhinoplasty surgeries so seek a surgeon you trust well. Consult them, question them, and ensure you feel fully understood and very comfortable.

Open Rhinoplasty vs Closed Rhinoplasty

Unlike the above rhinoplasties (ethnic, functional and revision), Open Rhinoplasty and Closed Rhinoplasty refer to the way the surgical procedure is done. Thus, for example, one could have an ethnic rhinoplasty done “open” or “closed.”

There are several differences between the two surgical options but in short, an Open Rhinoplasty will entail cutting skin and cartilage on the outside of the nose to clear access so that problem spots or the affected area can be operated on, while Closed Rhinoplasty accomplishes the same thing without cutting exterior skin, and by instead going through the nostrils.

Open Rhinoplasty starts with a cut in the skin separating the nostrils, giving access to the bone and cartilage beneath it. This procedure takes one to two hours and is done under general anesthesia. After a small incision, the skin is lifted, cartilage is adjusted, the nasal bones are resized or repositioned, and the nose is closed and sutured.

Closed Rhinoplasty reaches the same end goal but accomplishes it by going through the nostrils. Just as with open rhinoplasty, nasal humps can be removed, the nose tip can be lifted, the curvature of the nose bridge can be straightened out, asymmetrical nostrils can be balanced, and many other problems can be fixed.

Rhinoplasty Risks

As rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure, it comes with small but inherent risks that every patient should be aware of. The typical risks of rhinoplasty are:

• Infection at the site of the operation
• Poor post-procedural healing
• Nasal septal perforation (a hole in the nose’s divider, inside the nose) causing breathing difficulties or irregularities
• Under or over correction that may require another surgery

These risks are minimal to begin with and an incredible rhinoplasty surgeon greatly reduces the odds of even experiencing any of them. Dr. Lampert will also cover with you what you can do to have the smoothest recovery period.

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Patients should expect some post-procedural pain and discomfort that is very manageable by over-the-counter pain medication.

You will experience some swelling and bruising in the upper face area, particularly around the eyes, and will usually be wearing a nasal splint for 7-10 days. Bruising and swelling often subsides well before then, in about 3 days.

When the bruising and swelling has settled, you will see your vastly improved (or nicely tailored) new nasal shape and contour.

Within 2 to 3 weeks you will comfortably be able to return to all of your usual activities.

Restoring Function

During rhinoplasty consultation, Dr. Lampert occasionally finds an undetected or ignored functional problem. A restricted nasal airway can be caused by a deviated septum – the thin wall of cartilage that divides the nostrils. A deviated septum, as well as other obstructions in the nasal passages, can often be corrected during your Miami rhinoplasty. This gives patients the best possible outcome—a nose that is both aesthetically pleasing and fully functioning with nasal breathing.

Rhinoplasty Caution

The best chance at a fully successful and life-changing rhinoplasty is to trust your procedure only to a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in facial cosmetic procedures. Dr. Lampert spent over 6 years performing thousands of surgeries at the prestigious Mr. Sinai Hospital in New York City before establishing his private practice in Miami. His surgical training has been focused only on plastic surgery.

He is fully proficient and experienced both as a surgeon and a classically trained sculptor. Correcting complicated nasal structure while ensuring function is maintained or improved is a skill that few surgeons have. It not only takes years of experience and specialized training, but also an artistic eye for the aesthetic. Dr. Lampert’s artistic sense is second to none as evidenced by the aesthetic, natural result he produces.

At Dr. Lampert's practice in Miami, rhinoplasty is used to make very small changes that result in a profound difference in appearance. Much of the skill of a rhinoplasty surgeon is in knowing when to stop. Rhinoplasty surgery is “a game of millimeters.” Reshaping noses to bring them into harmony with his patients’ overall appearance is Dr. Lampert’s passion. Find out how he can help you achieve your dream.