Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgery Blog- Seattle/Bellevue facelift/rhinoplasty surgeon- Dr. Philip Young » Rhinoplasty / Nose Surgery / Nose job / Nose Reshaping / Nasal Reshaping

Healing your body and mind

dryoung — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:55:26 +0000

Once you have the procedure you waited a long time for, it is time to be patient and wait, again, for your body to heal. Unfortunately, a surgeon’s scalpel is not a magic wand and healing will occur at different rates for different people. You must allow yourself to heal and be aware it is natural to be impatient for the results and a little anxious because you often look worse before you look better. Being aware this can happen will help you understand these normal feelings.

Sharing your experience with friends and family can help give you a support system during your recovery, but realize they may unintentionally make you question your decision with concerns during your recovery. While you may think that you are looking pretty rough around the edges, we may tell you that you are healing beautifully. Trust us. We will share with you if there is a concern, so if we tell you that everything is healing normally, it is.

Your healing will depend on many things such as your general health, your willingness to follow instructions, and your mental attitude toward recovery. While I can perform the surgery, I cannot “heal” you. It is up to you to be an active participant in your recovery process to help your body heal the best that it can. Following all of our instruction is very important, as is working with us to address any complications that may arise. Even surgeries that are done exactly right can have complications during recovery. It has to do with the human factor. We are not machines and every person can react differently and heal differently even when the surgery is done exactly the same. Every surgeon has unexpected results from time to time.

It is important you approach your surgery and especially your recovery with the mindset that we are a team, and you are an integral part of that team. We must trust each other to be working for a common goal, your successful result. As the surgeon, I enjoy my work and strive to achieve an ideal result during every surgery for every patient. I have rigorous standards that my staff must meet in order to be involved in your care. I am looking forward to working with you to achieve a great result and do not anticipate any post-operative problems. I will do everything I can to make sure that you are happy with your result.

Dr. Philip Young, MD

Asian rhinoplasty for a hump and an area that could use an implant. How to make it harmonious with my forehead.

dryoung — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:43:20 +0000

Asian rhinoplasty is a unique procedure all in itself. You have a bridge which is not as common as an Asian person that needs a bridge. You also need a bridge above the hump area. Ultimately, you should have this discussion with your doctor so he can tailor a procedure for you. What this is probably going to entail is reduction of the hump area and an addition of a graft above it. Alternatively, you could just need augmentation to camouflage the hump. There is a way to avoid making your nose bridge look weird after augmentation. There are standards for the Asian nose. typically the nose bridge starts below that of a Caucasian. Although I think that, in all races, there is an ideal to where the nasal bridge starts. A Caucasian nose normally starts at the eyelid crease or eyelid margin or somewhere between the two points. I have theory on beauty that has helped me decide exactly where the nasal bridge should start. I have a unique techinque with Asian Rhinoplasty that you can read about on my website.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Difference between Asian Rhinoplasty and Western Caucasian Rhinoplasty

dryoung — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:29:50 +0000

Asian Rhinoplasty is different from rhinoplasty done for a Caucasian. Caucasians usually require reductive rhinoplasty. This entails making the nose smaller or “reducing’ the size of the nose. Asian rhinoplasty is typically an augmentation type of rhinoplasty where parts of the nose are actually made bigger like the tip and nasal bridge. The Asian rhinoplasty necessitates placing grafts from rib, ear, nasal septal and foreign material like silicone, medpor, and goretex. I have a unique approach to the Asian Nose that you can read about on my website. I have a video below and you can see more on my website.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Rhinoplasty Revision only one month after for nose too far away from my face.

dryoung — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:07:31 +0000

There are many options to reduce the height of your tip and nose through rhinoplasty revision. This is reliant on many factors. Your nasal anatomy is vital and what you are specifically conversing about. I would need to see pictures to fully give the correct or best answer. When you say that your nose is “too high from my face”, it suggests to me that the tip and nasal structures in general from your face is too far away. This is termed excessive tip and nasal projection. There are many alternatives to decrease this situation. You can excise the cartilages and set them backward. Just the approach to rhinoplasty will often release some ligaments that hold your nasal tips away from your face. Cutting the attachments from your tip cartilages to the upper parts of your nose will often also break up forces that are holding your nose away from your face. Your septal cartilage also has a big impact on the overall projection and reducing the height of the septum will also decrease your projection.
One month is too early. Most surgeons suggest and believe, in general as a group, that 6 months is the earliest. If there is something obvious some surgeons will elect to do a minor revision as early as 2 weeks in some rare situations. Your surgeon or a surgeon that is familiar with your previous procedure (through communication with your original surgeon) can best determine what to do. You don’t have to wait a year in my opinion.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

nasal bumps from acne, how do you treat them?

dryoung — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:40:52 +0000

These bumps on your nose can be reduced with laser techniques, co2 laser, dermabrasion, and dermaplaning. We have pictures on our webpages under rhinoplasty and acne scar surgery for you to review The bumps can be due to accumulation of sebum (oil products from your hair follicles) that accumulate in the hair follicle. Or it can be due to proliferation of these glands under your skin. Your situation appears similar to people who have rhinophyma. It could be something similar in pathology. The approaches above will help both conditions. For your acne you should be on a retinol product, maybe alpha / beta hydroxy lotion, and a glycolic product and or at home peel.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Rhinoplasty at the age of 13? Is it okay to do the surgery on someone at this age.

dryoung — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:25:55 +0000

I had someone write me this:

My son has a hump on his nose from banging it in the past . Now he seems to be hitting it more and it is sort of red. He mentions that it hurts there as well. We live in Australia and the surgeons won’t touch her till he is older I don’t think the bump is going to get any bigger. Why do we have to wait? Maybe we should come up to America to get this surgery done? Please let me know what you think. My boy is 13 years old and he is very handsome. His nose looks good otherwise just the bump.

This is how I answered:

Thanks for writing us. I think that at the age of 13 your son’s nose is still growing. I would wait until he reaches the age of at least 16. Otherwise if you operate on his nose at this point, it could alter the way the nose grows. That is probably the reason why the surgeons in Australia are not willing to do the surgery at this time. You can write me back at anytime.

There are some surgeons that would operate earlier. Most of the time this is usually in the setting of a cleft lip and palate, congenital type deformity, where the nose may be significantly affected by this condition. Even still, the formal rhinoplasty in this situation is usually done at the age of 16 after the nose is fully developed. Many surgeons do some mild alterations at the time they work on the cleft lip at the age of 3-6 months. They do an intermediate repair at anywhere from 1 to 14 years of age. The definitive rhinoplasty is done at the age of 14 for females and 16 for males at the earliest. Most surgeons like to wait until at least the age of 16 for girls and boys to make sure most all of the growth is done by then.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Alar rim grafts and composite grafts can help lower your nostrils through rhinoplasty.

dryoung — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:34:40 +0000

This is a question that a patient asked me in regards to their nostrils being higher on the right side as opposed to the left side. Here is how I answered:

Alar rim grafts and composite grafts can help lower your nostrils through rhinoplasty. Remember though that every person is asymmetric and this is built into our neuroanatomy to choose asymmetrically our mates. I don’t see that the attachment is much different from each side but other pictures would help. Alar rim grafts are cartilage grafts that are put along the nostril margin or rim (hence called rim grafts) to help lower the rim. Composite grafts are made up of ear cartilage grafts that are a composite of skin and cartilage. This combination allows you to lower the rim even more when this is incoporated.

If you ever want some questions answered you can always email me here.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

I have a tip that is too projecting and a bump at the top of my nose after rhinplasty 4 weeks after.

dryoung — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:52:32 +0000

This is a question that I answered for a patient that had surgery from another surgeon who had a tip that was protruding and a bump at the top of the nose:

Results are hard to judge early after a Rhinoplasty. During the first month, swelling that occurs differentially over the nose can present results that are less than desirable. This can occur due to multiple reasons. Bleeding in one area over the nose more than others can lead to contour changes that will most of the time resolve. Manual shaping can be important part of the post operative care for the rhinoplasty patient. This can also make the nose look less straight as well from the front as well as the side. Your surgeon should know the best. The crooked nose or deviated nose is one of the most complicated procedures to do in rhinoplasty and requires most all of the skills in rhinoplasty that your surgeon will need to have in his skill set. The small hump at the top could be a localized area of swelling from bleeding and could use some massage. Your physician should help you through this stage.

Cheers!, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Choosing a Rhinoplasty Surgeon should be taken from multiple different approaches

dryoung — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:44:16 +0000

Choosing a Rhinoplasty Surgeon should be taken from multiple different approaches. I think research over the internet is a good place to start. This is a way to get to know th rhinoplasty surgeon and to see if you get the right feel from this initial experience. I would look up the doctors credentials. Look for things that set him apart from the competitors. How are the before and afters? This is vital. I wouldn’t necessarily go by reputation. You want to find someone that will take care of you personally and will pay attention to your needs. If you go to someone that is really busy they may not spend enough time during your consultation or during your procedure. Look for testimonials. Ask for references. Get multiple opinions, any good doctor / surgeon will tell you to do this (if they are confident). I would at least see 3 different surgeons to get the right feel that you are looking for. How accesible is the doctor. Can you get a hold of him via email, phone etc? Hope this helps!

Hope this helps!

Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Is is okay to repair a fractured nose during pregnancy?

dryoung — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 22:05:58 +0000

Generally, fixing a nose is a cosmetic undertaking and is not suggested during pregnancy. Especially if it is done under general anesthesia. General anesthesia is not recommended during pregnancy unless for almost life threatening situations let alone cosmetic purposes. I would highly recommend postponing fixing your fractured nose until after pregnancy and breast feeding. Another alternative is to do it under local anesthesia but this is rather a difficult option as it is hard to completely make the nose numb at times.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington