A lot of teenagers want nose jobs
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, rhinoplasty for teenagers is becoming more and more popular. Teens are usually more sensitive about their looks than adults are, and more vulnerable to the judgment of other teens where their looks are concerned. A teen with an unpleasantly conspicuous nose won’t want to wait for adulthood to have it changed. This doesn’t even get into the possible medical reasons why someone might need rhinoplasty for teens, such as a deviated septum causing sleep apnea.
But you still need to make sure the teen is old enough. Partly this is for medical reasons — a girl’s nose hasn’t finished growing and developing until about 15, and a boy’s nose hasn’t finished growing until about 17. It would be a mistake to perform surgery before then, since the nose would change shape afterward, but afterward, it’s basically the same as rhinoplasty on an adult. The other reason the teen needs to be old enough is that he or she needs a certain level of maturity. He or she should have a long conversation with his or her parents and doctor, so that his or her preferences are expressed clearly. It will help if the doctor has computer imaging that can show the results of surgery.
Managing the recovery
The hardest part for any teenager will be managing the recovery from rhinoplasty. Your son or daughter will need to spend the first few days indoors, drinking plenty of fluids and getting plenty of sleep while keeping his or her head elevated to minimize swelling.
For the next few weeks, he or she should avoid exercise, heavy lifting or bending over — anything that might raise the blood pressure in his or her head. He or she should also not wear any garments that need to be pulled over the head, since they would press against the nose. He or she should spend time out of the sun, not wearing glasses or blowing his or her nose. It may be several weeks before the swelling goes down enough to make a judgment on how well the operation has worked.
Charlotte’s most experienced rhinoplasty surgeon
Dr. Sean Freeman is the best rhinoplasty surgeon in Charlotte NC today. He has been certified by two different boards of surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Since 1988 he has concentrated on his specialty — facial plastic surgery, including nose jobs. Many of his patients have already gotten nose jobs from other surgeons and are seeking revision rhinoplasty to improve them. If your son or daughter lives in or near Charlotte and wants rhinoplasty, schedule an appointment or online consultation with Charlotte’s best rhinoplasty surgeon today.
Contact Dr. Sean Freeman at Only Faces, Charlotte’s most experienced rhinoplasty surgeon and top facial plastic surgeon, to schedule a consultation to find out what procedure is right for you. Call today.