Wanting a nose that looks more male or female
Usually, when someone wants rhinoplasty they just want their nose to look better — a little bit smaller, straighter in the bridge, fully symmetrical. But sometimes the purpose of a nose job is to make the nose look more masculine or feminine. So what does that mean?
There are differences between the noses are men and women — subtle differences, almost lost in the noise of individual variation and only appearing in the statistical aggregate. Experienced facial plastic surgeons who work on enough patients eventually develop a feel for these differences and can make subtle changes to add to the masculinity or femininity of a nose. For example, male skin tends to be thicker than female skin, which blunts some of the sharp angles and makes the nose less delicate. The bridge of a man’s nose is straighter and more prominent, and the tip is less elevated.
Self-care after rhinoplasty
No matter why you get a nose job, you should take care of yourself afterward — especially if your goal is such a subtle change. For the first two to three days, make sure you take your pain medication and antibiotics. Eat what you can to get the calories for healing, but avoid anything salty. Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of sleep, keeping your head elevated to reduce the swelling.
Take your temperature often. This is the worst possible time to catch a cold or the flu. Limiting human contact will do a lot to prevent that. Wash your hands often, just to be absolutely sure. Always put sunscreen on your nose if you’re going outside and the sun is shining. And obviously you should take care not to bump your nose into anything — in fact, don’t wear pullover sweaters and other garments that could brush against your nose. This unfortunately also includes glasses, if you wear them.
Don’t drink, smoke or take aspirin for the first three weeks. Don’t do anything to raise blood pressure in your head, such as bending over, exercising hard or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Above all, don’t worry too much until the swelling has gone down.
Charlotte’s most experienced rhinoplasty surgeon
Dr. Sean Freeman is Charlotte’s best rhinoplasty surgeon. He’s been certified by two different surgery boards, the American Board of Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Since 1988 he’s done only facial plastic surgery, including nose jobs. Many of his patients have already had a rhinoplasty done by other surgeons, and come to him for revision rhinoplasty to get the results they really wanted. Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you live in or near Charlotte and want rhinoplasty, schedule your appointment or online consultation 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.