Five-minute nose job offers alternative to surgery
Rhinoplasty, or "nose jobs," are among the most popular plastic surgeries available. But some patients are reticent to try the expensive, sometimes risky, surgery. Now, there's another option, called "the five-minute nose job."
Instead of scalpels, incisions and sutures to reshape and straighten noses, doctors use a syringe and natural fillers to reshape the nose.
Seventeen-year-old Alex Trowsse recently underwent injectable rhinoplasty. Two years ago, she was injured in a car accident. She had surgery to rebuild her nose, but she noticed there were still bumps and dents on the bridge of her nose.
So she turned to facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Oakley Smith, chief of the Toronto East General hospital's Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, who also runs a private clinic. Smith used a natural gel filler to fill in the dents along her nose. In 10 minutes, the nose job was done, and Trowsse was delighted.
Non-surgical rhinoplasty has become increasingly popular, with many patients noticing dramatic effects from the procedure. Other results are more subtle; some people might even have problems noticing the difference. But for the patients, the changes can be huge.
Toronto-based plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Mulholland reports that the procedure is growing in popularity, with several provided every week at this clinic.
Many patients say the five-minute nose job is a lot less scary a prospect that the surgical option, because there's no going under the knife and no recovering from anesthesia.
"Surgery kind of scared me. I wanted to try something less intrusive. I'll stick to the 5 minute nose job," says Nancy DaCosta, 28, a patient treated by Dr. Mulholland.
Mulholland notes that another advantage of the injectable rhinoplasty is that the recovery is much easier.
"There is no broken nose. There is no packing your nose, so the recovery and risks are lower," he says.
"The other advantage is that you get a nice result with little downtime. Most patients will look reasonable that afternoon or that day."
What's more, it's significantly cheaper than a surgical nose job, which costs about $6,000 these days. A nose-job-in-a-needle runs only about $1,000 to $2,000.
There is one significant downside to the injectable option: It's not permanent. Because the procedure uses natural fillers, the body eventually breaks those fillers down and the results disappear with time.
"It doesn't last the rest of your life, but it can last two or three years, so they can get a long-term improvement," says Mulholland.
But the temporary nature of the procedure can also be an advantage: if a patient doesn't like the new look, it will fade.
Mulholland says there are risks to any kind of procedure. Too much filler in the nose can compromise the blood supply.
"You can't fill it endlessly. It has to be a judicious metered amount. So it needs to be done by an experienced physician," he says.
There is also a small risk of infection or allergic reaction to the filler. And of course, it can't make a large nose small.
But the procedure can be very specific and to the patient's liking.
"The patient sort of test-drives the procedure. You stop and let them check and they are happy with the way things are progressing, you can continue to do more. You can stop whenever they feel comfortable," says Dr. Smith.
"For certain types of noses, this is the preferred technique, even better than surgery."
Proof that beauty is all in the nose of the beholder.
