Rhinoplasty: Who is it for?

Mrinal Supriya describes the ideal rhinoplasty patient

Laura Livesey: Who do you think would make the ideal candidate to work with you, to have you help them with rhinoplasty surgery?

Mrinal Supriya: The ideal rhinoplasty patient for me or any rhinoplasty surgeon would be someone who has an obvious nasal defect that is very clear to the patient as well as to the surgeon. A patient who can identify the aspects of the nose that they are unhappy about. The surgeon can agree that these are there and that they can be modified by surgery.

Equally important is the mental makeup of that patient. The patient should be affected significantly by the nasal deformity. It could be having a significant impact on their self-confidence, on the way they perceive themselves and on the way they perceive others look at their nose.

When you have these characteristics, and once you come for a consultation where we can go through and agree on the aspects of your nose that we can enhance, you will end up having a much better experience and a much better outcome from the surgery.

Like any other cosmetic procedure, you should not go into a surgical procedure thinking that this is completely going to change your life. You should definitely not consider it while you’re going through significant distress in your life because that is not the goal of the surgery. It would be best if you had a very clear idea about what you want, and your surgeon should agree that these are achievable in the operation…

Is there a right age to have a nose job?

Laura Livesey: Can you give us a little bit more information in terms of the age of your patients?

Mrinal Supriya: There is a lower limit. We offer rhinoplasty once the development is complete. That would equate to about 15 to 16 and above for females, and maybe 17 to 18 for boys, but there is no real upper limit. Anyone who is fit and willing to have it, any adult can have it at any point in their life.

Are you suitable?

There are certain features which will make you less suitable as a candidate. For example, if you are actively involved in a contact sport, then that is not a good idea. If you are a heavy smoker, then it can impact your healing from the surgery. You’ve got to consider giving up smoking to get the best out of the surgery. Of course, you need to be physically fit to have the anaesthesia and the surgery itself.

Mental fitness

Equally important is mental fitness. You should not undergo any cosmetic surgery as something that is going to change your life.

It is there to add to your life rather than change it. You should be comfortable within yourself, and you should take the idea of the rhinoplasty as something that is going to add to your confidence.

It is not something that will completely bring your confidence up from scratch.

We have to be very clear that facial cosmetic procedures are not lifesaving or essential surgery. These are procedures which are done to enhance your quality of life, so you should never jump into these operations quickly.

Be aware of the outcomes

It would be best if you took your time to understand what the surgery involves, what the recovery is going to be like, and what are the expected eventual outcomes.

You need to have an honest discussion with your surgeon. You should look at their before and after pictures, so you should have a very clear picture about what you’re getting into and what you’re going to get out of it.

I, for one, would never operate on someone who wants it done because there is a discount on offer elsewhere, or because I can offer it much quicker than another surgical provider. Any surgery is not to be taken lightly. Particularly, when you are having a surgery which is a lifestyle surgery rather than a clinically essential surgery, please do take your time, make yourself comfortable, make yourself knowledgeable about what you’re getting into.

You should never have surgery done after being pressurized by a sales agent or patient liaison as might be the case with some national chains.