With a 40-plus year career, Campbell, CA plastic surgeon R. Laurence Berkowitz, MD has performed quite a few rhinoplasties—although he’s quick to point out he never does more than one a day to make sure each and every patient he sees gets the utmost in personalized attention. “Rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging aesthetic procedures—but it can also be the most rewarding when planned and done with thought and precision,” he says. Thanks to modern surgical techniques, a focus on preservation and a shifting patient demographic, here are three of the biggest nose-job myths he’s hoping to clear up:
Myth 1: Recovery Will Be Rocky
“The biggest misconception regarding rhinoplasty is that it is a prolonged recovery with extensive bruising and swelling. With a combination of the preservation techniques and ultrasonic instrumentation (Piezo), most patients experience very little or no bruising and considerably less swelling than seen in previous eras. In the majority of cases, our patients can return to work or school in one to two weeks.”
Myth 2: It’s a Surgery That’s Better-Suited for a Younger Demo
“With a population that is choosing to work far beyond the traditional retirement age, we see both men and women seeking rhinoplasty in their 60s and 70s. Prior to the Piezo ultrasonic instruments, the bones were considered too fragile to undergo rhinoplasty, but now that is safe and possible.”
Myth 3: It Will Be Obvious
“A good rhinoplasty should not look like a human hand has been there! The proportions—width, height, projection should be ideal for that face. The entire structure should appear to be one fluid unit from the root of the nose between the eyes to the tip of the nose. The boney portions and cartilaginous portions should appear as a single structure. The tip should appear to blend with the nostrils and not appear isolated (an unfortunate common finding after rhinoplasty).”
