Rhinoplasty
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Dr. Mo Boonipat is an expert in rhinoplasty, with fellowship training specifically in challenging rhinoplasty sub-populations.
Ethnic Rhinoplasty in Lubbock, TX
Hello Dr Boonipat here, facial plastic surgery expert. So what is ethnic rhinoplastic? So you can see a range of different ethnicity here. You can see in the ethnic patient in the front. The African American patient the nose is usually broader the cartilage is less strong, the skin is thicker compared to the Caucasian on the far right, where the cartilage is stronger the skin is usually thinner. The nose is more narrow and there can be many variations in between. So for example in a Hispanic patients the cartilage is very weak, you have very wide nasal structure. Not well defined tip with thick skin and a low radix. Usually the rhinoplasty will address these issues with suturing and augmenting the cartilage, reducing some of the thick skin and gives you better definition of the tip and augments the Radix. Sometimes we can address that too. Again we do all of this by trying to retain some of the ethnic features that you have, so that the nose still matches the face and you retain your ethnic identity.
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What is ethnic rhinoplasty?
Nose job' or rhinoplasty in patients that are not Caucasian (white) in origin. There are many different unique characteristics in the ethnic patients that make rhinoplasty in this patient population difficult. Differences between a Caucasian nose and non-white nose includes thicker skin over the nose, weak underlying cartilages structures, wider nose (alar base), a very prominent bump on the nose, or too flat. All of these factors make rhinoplasty in this population difficult and hard to achieve good long-lasting result.
Learn more about different types of rhinoplasties, including Hispanic, Asian, Male, and Revision rhinoplasties here.
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Read more about the technical details and Dr. Boonipat’s unique approach to rhinoplasty that ensure your long term stable results and minimize the recovery period.
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What are the common complaints?
1. My nose is too big, looks like a man’s nose, looks heavy
2. My tip has no definition
3. My nose doesn’t fit my face
4. My nose is crooked
5. My tip plunges when I smile
6. My nose is too wide
7. My nose is too flat
8. I cannot breathe
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What is the process of getting a rhinoplasty?
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Dr. Mo Boonipat will:
-Discuss your goals and go over examples of your ideal nose.
-He strives to create a natural looking nose that is in harmony with the rest of your face. He avoids the ‘done’ look or artificial look.
-Perform a physical exam (including looking inside your nose) and take a medical history.
-He will take photographs of your nose in standard views.
-Discuss how we can help you achieve your goal.
-We need to make sure your goals are realistic and can be achieve.
-We will see you at least twice prior to the operation to again go over the pictures and discuss your goals.
-We make sure the result will both be aesthetic (look good to you), and also be functional (you can breathe after the surgery).
-In certain cases, in order to harmonize your face, Dr. Boonipat will suggest other facial surgery modification. Having training in bony contouring and soft tissue cosmetic aesthetics give him a unique skill set to offer a comprehensive treatment plan that will lead to an individualized natural harmony for you.
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What to expect during and after surgery?
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Surgery:​
-You will likely go to sleep completely under general anesthesia, unless it is something minor.
-The surgery is done in a certified surgery center
-Lasts anywhere from 1-5 hours, depending on our planning and your particular case.
-You will go home the same day with dressings on your nose.
-Dr. Boonipat will see you for regular follow ups after.
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After Surgery:
-We remove the dressing and sutures at the first post operative visit (~1 week after the operation).
-The swelling is worst during the first 2-3 days and usually get better. Some degree of swelling can last up to a year after your rhinoplasty.
-You will see the result immediately, but your nose will still be swollen.
-The swelling will decrease dramatically over the next few weeks (most swelling is gone by 1 month, but you will have some swelling for up to a year).
-Dr. Boonipat's use of piezosurgery and preservation technique minimizes swelling and help speed up your recovery .
-Dr. Boonipat will teach you how to tape your nose to minimize swelling and speed the healing process.
-You should avoid nose blowing, salty and spicy food during the first month.
-You should use saline nasal spray
-Previous breathing issues usually improve over 6 months from your post surgery date.
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So let's talk about rhinoplasty and how Insurance works with that. I get a lot of questions from patients they saying oh can I get my rhinoplasty covered by insurance so the answer to that question is that maybe because if you have symptoms such as difficulty breathing, a trauma to the nose in the past, we can get that part covered by Insurance because it is medically necessary to create your breathing or nasal valve collapse when you breathe in sometimes your nose collapse in then cause difficulty breathing, or your nose is deviated to one side causing you to have difficulties with breathing on one side of the nose. So those things can be covered by Insurance. The things that cannot be covered by Insurance are the Cosmetic Rhinoplasty, if you're only concerns about the bump on your nose or slight deviation that does not cause any breathing issues or other functional issues then we will have to be cosmetic. So we can combine insurance pay for the functional issues and we can treat the Cosmetic issues separately at the same surgery but some of the cost will be reimbursed by Insurance while the rest will be our pocket.
Cost?
Rhinoplasty is highly individualized. Therefore, total cost will varied greatly. Most rhinoplasty cases are cosmetic, and insurance will not cover such operation. Health insurance will cover some or all cost for a functional rhinoplasty (septoplasty), with the goal being primarily to improve your breathing.