Preservation Rhinoplasty

One of the latest new/old trends to circle back in rhinoplasty surgery is the preservation rhinoplasty.  Preservation rhinoplasty simply means that all or a part of the bridge of the nose (the dorsum) is not taken down or separated.  Instead it is “preserved” during surgery and work is done underneath or deep to a preserved roof of the nose.  Usually this means that the lines that determine the nasal shape from the front (called the brow-tip aesthetic lines or dorsal aesthetic lines) are not interrupted.  Leaving these lines intact can lead to a lower risk of nasal contour discrepancies many years down the line.

Although it is billed as “less invasive,” the group of techniques called “preservation rhinoplasty” still often require fracturing the sides and the superior part of the nasal bones. The advantage is that by leaving the front of the bridge of the nose as it was prior to surgery, we have one less variable to worry about as the nose heals. In addition, these techniques can still improve the nasal airway and often do so without widening the middle part of the nose (the middle vault) too much or at all.

Am I a candidate for preservation rhinoplasty?

You might be a candidate for a preservation rhinoplasty if:

• This is your first rhinoplasty surgery
• Your nose is straight, or mildly or moderately deviated to one side
• You have not had significant trauma to your nose
• You have a small or medium sized dorsal hump on your nose that you would like to have taken down

If you would like to learn more about this and other techniques that Dr. Irvine uses for her nasal surgeries, please call us at 424-225-1280 or request an appointment here.