Rhinoplasty in Bern

The twilight sedative administered for the operation is complemented by an additional local anaesthetic; the surgery can alternatively be carried out under general anaesthetic.

The surgery can either be endoscopic (via the nostrils and without external incisions) or invasive in nature. In the case of the latter, the surgeon makes the necessary incisions in the bridge of the nose and the mucous membrane of the nasal vestibule, where they will not attract attention when healed. Then, the surgeon uses these incisions to introduce surgical instruments and remove soft tissues from the nose, thereby gaining access to the skeletal structure of the nose.

At this stage, any bony or cartilaginous parts of a hump in the nose are removed or reshaped as necessary to reduce the nose’s size. If necessary, the surgeon can also carry out a nasal septum correction or reduce the size of the nasal wings after reducing the overall size of the nose. In rhinoplasty, the surgeon always elects to make incisions in a manner that creates as few external scars as possible. When the incisions have been sutured together, tamponades are inserted in the patient’s nostrils and the bridge is secured with special plasters, a plaster cast and an acrylic pad, which stay in place for several weeks.

Patients are usually ready to leave our clinic in Bern after an overnight stay. While the tamponades can be removed from the nostrils after 24 hours, the plaster cast protecting the nasal bones must be worn for a week. The sutures in the bridge of the nose are removed after 4 to 6 days. Any swelling that develops after the procedure will completely dissipate of its own accord within around 10 days.

However, depending on the thickness of the patient’s skin, some patients may experience residual swelling for several months. Check-ups are held after 3 months to inspect the scarring, and after 6 and 9 months to monitor the final results.

It’s important to take around 1–2 weeks off work to recover from a nose correction procedure and avoid strenuous physical activities for 2–3 weeks. You should also avoid unduly exposing the treated area to strong influences like direct sunlight or cold temperatures for around 2 months. After around a year, you’ll be able to see the final, permanent results of the operation.

As with any operation, surgical procedures on the nose can lead to bruising and infections. In rare cases, the sensitivity of the tip of the nose may be affected, a side effect which can last up to 8 weeks. Follow-up treatments are required in around 5–10% of cases due to overcorrection or undercorrection.

We can remedy almost all imperfections in a person’s nose. The most common procedures we perform are profile corrections, removal of a hump in the bridge and surgery to correct and make the tip of a patient’s nose more defined. It’s also common for patients to want the tip of their nose lifted. Generally speaking, many women would like their nose to be somewhat smaller: a petite, dainty nose is in keeping with an elegant face.

Of course. In fact, this combination is the only sensible option, and there are no real alternatives. If a patient suffers from a functional disorder – that is to say, if their breathing is impaired – and would also like to undergo aesthetic nasal correction, some of the operative steps are identical. While there are considerable differences between the procedures, they’re similar enough that it’s often quite logical to combine the two.

A classic nose correction procedure takes about 2 hours. However, in more complicated cases, such operations can take up to 4 hours. This depends on the complexity of the specific case, and also on whether operations have been performed on the area in the past. Second operations are often more complicated and take rather longer as a result. Ultimately, though, the most important thing isn’t how long the operation takes – first and foremost, we’re focused on the quality of the results.

In certain cases, yes. We can sometimes use hyaluronic acid to enhance the contours of a patient’s nose – though this only adds to its size. Without surgery, it’s impossible to reduce the size of the nose; instead, we can only work to enhance existing contours and accentuate certain areas. This often concerns the bridge or tip of a patient’s nose.

No. You will have to deal with a rather unpleasant sensation while the tamponades are in your nostrils for the first 24 hours after the procedure. However, removing the tamponades will be a great relief, and at that point you’ll be free to return home. Of course, wearing the plaster cast isn’t too pleasant either, but it’s usually removed after a week.

While you’re likely to experience some pain in the first few days of recovery, common painkillers are usually effective remedies.