Rhinoplasty for the Teenage Patient
Rhinoplasty in the teenage patient can have a significant impact on one’s self-image and confidence. In facial plastic surgery, it is hard to find a procedure that can lead to such a positive change. This is why teenage patients are one of the most common groups seeking rhinoplasty. These patients have a distinct advantage, as they have healthy tissues and generally are good healers after surgery.  While some have problems with breathing due to nasal trauma or congenital reasons, patients in this age group more commonly desire a noticeable improvement in the appearance of their nose.
When operating on a young patient, the surgeon must take into consideration the many years that the nose will continue to refine and heal following surgery. I counsel my patients that healing after rhinoplasty will continue for many years, even if the changes that occur long after surgery are extremely subtle. If patients look at photos over a period of years, only then will they see that the nose continues to change over time. It is also extremely important to ensure that these long-term changes do not compromise the nasal airway. I make certain to give the patient as stable a nose as possible and one that will endure for many decades to come.
Stability in a nose can vary considerably among patients. A nose that is not subjected to surgery will often weaken as one ages, sometimes causing the nasal tip to droop downward. This is sometimes accompanied with breathing impairment. One of my primary goals in rhinoplasty is to create a nasal structure that is much stronger than it was preoperatively, so that the contour and shape of the nose remain stable over time. It is important for patients to understand that skeletal modifications to the nose, such as the removal of a dorsal hump, can create new problems that must be addressed during surgery. This is why surgeons who abide by a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to rhinoplasty tend to have unpredictable results and an increased risk of aesthetic and functional complications. A much wiser approach is to approach each nose independently, and to devise a surgical plan according to the needs of each individual patient.
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Discussions in Rhinoplasty
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