Cosmetic Rhinoplasty in Syracuse & Rochester, NY

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What is Cosmetic Rhinoplasty?

Cosmetic rhinoplasty refers to nose surgery where the goal is to enhance the appearance of the nose. The aesthetic goal of rhinoplasty should be to achieve refined features of the nose that will harmonize the rest of your face.

 

Why is Rhinoplasty Considered One of the Most Challenging Facial Plastic Surgeries?

 

The nose consists of skin, soft tissue including muscles and ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Each of these components require a unique approach of planning, execution of technique, and prolonged postoperative care and patience to achieve the desired outcome.

The external appearance of the nose consists of a complex interplay of three-dimensional features of contour, curvature, skin texture, skin-soft tissue thickness, and shadow and reflection of lights in various angles and circumstances. There are also characteristic ethnic features of nasal structure that influence the ideals of the external appearance of the nose and what can be achieved. At the same time, we must consider the functionality of the nose as the entry to our respiratory system, breathing, smelling, and psychological sense of well-being. Of course, the nose also goes through changes as one ages, and we want to make sure that the nose after rhinoplasty will withstand the test of time.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON CONSULTATION DAY

We will ask you to specify what features of the nose you would like to improve. Dr. Kim will carefully examine both the inside and outside of the nose. He will then explain the underlying structural causes for the appearance of your nose, and how he will correct those problems from the surgeon’s perspective.

Key features of the nose that are unique to each patient: skin and soft tissue envelope; shape, symmetry, and strength of the tip cartilage (lower 1/3); width and height of nasal bone including the hump and location of keystone area (upper 1/3); the middle vault area comprising of internal nasal valve (middle 1/3); and the inside of the nose including the septum and turbinates.

We will discuss what approach of rhinoplasty is recommended: open rhinoplasty with external incision, or endonasal rhinoplasty with internal incision; and what technique will be expected based on the physical exam and goal of the surgery.

Traditionally, cosmetic rhinoplasty focuses on reductive technique – shaving or cutting the tip cartilage to refine or reshape the tip of the nose. Through the experience of past plastic surgeons we now know that the traditional reductive rhinoplasty can sometimes result in unpredictable and undesirable long term outcomes.

Modern principles in cosmetic rhinoplasty consist of reinforcing the supportive structure of the nasal tip. Every change made to the nasal tip will destabilize the tip support mechanism to some degree, and therefore must be countered with a reinforcing supportive maneuver. Furthermore, preservation rhinoplasty philosophy preaches minimizing removal of tissue to reduce disturbance of integrity of each nasal structure and contracture resulting in delayed adverse outcome.

Shape and strength of the nasal cartilage, thickness of the skin and soft tissue will dictate which techniques – suture technique, reshaping of the cartilage, or addition of cartilage grafts – are necessary to achieve the desired outcome which will stand the test of time. This approach will also help prevent unforeseen complications of rhinoplasty – functional problems of the nose.

Finally, we will take photos of the patient and digitally morphed photos will be provided to simulate the desired outcome from rhinoplasty. While this is an imperfect simulation, it is a helpful tool for the patient and the surgeon.

RECOVERY FROM RHINOPLASTY

There is an on-call physician during off-hours, and surgical patients will also have access to the surgeon’s personal cell phone for any specific surgery-related questions/concerns.

Week 1: Patients should expect some swelling and bruising. Patients may experience some discomfort during the first 2-3 days after the surgery. There will be some numbness at the time of the nose which will resolve over time. While some bruising under the eyes is possible, many patients may not have significant bruising under the eyes. Most patients plan to take 1 week off from school or work. External splint and sutures will be removed on day 7 after the surgery. In rare cases when necessary, Dr. Kim may also use an internal nasal splint which will be removed at day 7.

Week 2: No exercise for two weeks after the surgery, and no glasses or contact sports for 6 weeks. Patients should continue to apply ointment at the external incision site for 2 weeks, then start using a silicone sheet for 1 month. Continue with saline spray to keep the inside of the nose moist as often as possible.

Week 4+: Some patients with a thick skin-soft tissue envelope and post op edema may need a steroid injection as determined by Dr. Kim during post op visits. During this time, cartilage will feel very hard and sometimes it may feel like the nose is pulling to one side. This is not usual as the different structures of the nose may contract/pull toward different directions (like a 4-way tug-of-war), and massage or exercise may be helpful to redirect and mold as the nose heals.

6 months - 1 year: Swelling will continue to improve, cartilage will continue to soften as the nose begins to look and feel more organic and natural. Typically we expect the final outcome will take 1 year from surgery, it is not uncommon for the nose to take more time after the surgery.

All Photos

80% pleased, but I'll probably look into another doctor for a revision - I wanna start by saying I'd give my experience closer to a 3.5/5This will be a really long review, I wanted to wait at least two years before I wrote it, its been about 2 1/2 years since my first surgery which was a cosmetic rhinoplasty. Honestly I have kind of mixed feelings, I'm mostly happy, but I'd say I'm like 80% pleased with the result :') I had a very large dorsal hump I wanted removed, but otherwise I really liked my nose from the front! I made that very clear and repeatedly I was told it would be exactly the same, and I was really happy to hear how confident he was in this. Looking back I should've waited and looked at more doctors, but he was in my area and his confidence really sold me, on top of this he even told me if there were any complication that he would fix it free of charge. He told me my nose seemed pretty symmetrical and that there shouldn't be any issue and that it was a pretty straightforward procedure. After the first surgery I noticed some obvious asymmetry, but I was always reassured this would go away, but along with this asymmetry I now had breathing problems on the side that now seemed "curved" I couldn't breathe from one side at all and felt a bump on the inner wall of my septum on that side and I would feel a clicking on the other side of my nose where my alar was now raised higher than the other side.. But again I was assured this would all go away. After two full years the clicking did go away (tho the one side was still raised, albeit a little less) but more importantly my breathing didn't improve. I never questioned it to him directly, but at almost every appointment I was given one of two reasons which would differentiate for why this happened, one being swelling and two that my septum was bending back? I was under the impression it was straight in the first place. Eventually a septoplasty was planned in September of 2022 and he explained to my mother and I that the reason he didn't correct my deviated septum in my first surgery was because it would've been too much trauma on my nose, but he had never said this until that moment. Its been about 4 months since then, perhaps it will continue to de-swell and yes I can breathe better but its still not quite 100%.The last things I'd like to comment on are the doctor and the nurses themselves, Dr. Kim himself is very polite! But he does give off the feeling of being very rushed, appointments are always really short so you need to have questions ready otherwise he'll be out the door immediately. I was shocked he wasn't at either appointment where I had my splints removed, it's something in almost every video I watched concerning a rhinoplasty where the doctor was there? But perhaps not. This might just be me being a little sensitive, but I think he lacks some tact, when bringing up issues about symmetry a lot of my responses from him would be "im not sure what youre seeing, honestly I think it looks great" when at the same time people around me in my day to day life would point it out as well. Of course from the side I think it looks great, but from the front I cant say I'm exactly happy. He did tell me filler would probably solve this issue, but earlier as I said he mentioned he'd cover the costs for any complications, this was not the case, my mother had also asked me why I'd be paying as she remembered his earlier statement, but maybe we misunderstood?? I think I'll probably look into another doctor for filler and a revision in the future when I've saved up again I suppose. The nurses at his office are an absolute joy and extremely kind I only have good things to say about them.I know this is a rather critical review, but I don't regret doing it nor do I hate Dr. Kim either I actually feel bad being critical at all, I am definitely more confident than I was before, but if you're looking to have your side profile improved definitely look into doctors galleries where you're 100% impressed with how the patients look from all angles.

G. RealSelf

Excellent Experience - breathing is excellent, no complications during recovery, and my nose is much smaller - I had a septorhinoplasty in early February along with a turbinate reduction. I had a really great experience with Dr. Kim and his staff, and I just hit 3 months post-op and I am SO happy I did the procedure with Dr. Kim. I still have a ways to go before I know what my 'final' results look like - but I am already really pleased with my new nose. I probably prepared a minimum of a dozen questions for each pre-op appointment, and Dr. Kim took the time to discuss all of my concerns. My breathing is excellent, no complications during recovery, and my nose is much smaller and more aesthetically pleasing for my face. (note: since insurance coverage varies, my total cost for this review will only include the cosmetic portion not covered by insurance)

W. RealSelf

Dr. Kim is amazing. I work with clients daily and my face has to be on it's A game. I've had a rhinoplasty, Botox, fillers, and scar treatment done here. It's been flawless work. He's a Harvard trained surgeon and an expert in his craft, but he is quiet humble and down to earth and you won't hear him rattle off his credentials until you ask. When you go to him for cosmetics, please trust his vision. He's as much as a surgeon as he is an artist.

D.M. Google

Dr Kim and his staff are fantastic people friendly I am 100% please with Dr Kim's doing surgical work on my nose you can never ask for a better doctor I would highly recommend going to see Dr Kim if you need any work done

G.I. Google

Absolutely the best place to go for nose surgery! Can’t recommend highly enough!

J.H. Google

63

Total Reviews

4.9

Average Rating

About Us
How much does rhinoplasty cost?

The cost of nose reshaping surgery varies based on the technique used and how complex your procedure is. Before estimating costs, Dr. Kim will listen to your concerns and goals to help create your custom treatment plan. When this is done, he can go over costs for the facility, anesthesia, and more. For your best results, it's better to focus on selecting an experienced surgeon, like Dr. Kim, instead of the lowest cost. To help make your surgery easy to afford, Natural Face Clinic accepts many payment methods and we can help you find low-interest medical financing.

Can I combine nose surgery with other facial surgeries?

Some patients think about combining rhinoplasty with another procedure, like chin or cheek augmentation. Having multiple surgeries for a more dramatic result can be reviewed during your consultation with Dr. Kim. Once he understands your goals, He can help you choose what procedures will be in your custom plan. Nose reshaping surgery can often help your whole face look more balanced, so you should wait to see your results before getting another procedure.

Are there nonsurgical options to change my nose?

To smooth lumps and bumps on your nose, a wrinkle filler (like Restylane or Juvéderm) might be an option. An injectable filler can temporarily correct minor imperfections on your nose, which may help you decide to get a rhinoplasty. Nose surgery is better for larger changes, long-lasting results, and to adjust the internal structure of the nose for better function. During your consultation, Dr. Kim can let you know if you may be a candidate for nonsurgical nose reshaping.

*Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary from person to person. Images may contain models.