RHINOPLASTY
Dr. Dodson has made rhinoplasty one of his practice foci, in both the performance of rhinoplasty and in learning from rhinoplasty experts in the US and abroad.
Rhinoplasty is the most difficult facial surgery to learn. No surgeon ever truly masters rhinoplasty and wise surgeons are life-long students. The art of rhinoplasty lies in achieving both aesthetic (cosmetic) and functional (breathing) results for the lifetime of the patient. ENTs, like Dr. Dodson, are uniquely trained to understand the function and form of the nose better than any other surgical specialty.
Consultation
Before any substantial surgical plan can be created, a rhinoplasty begins with goal setting-- here the patient's voice is so very critical-- what constitutes a favorable outcome in the patient's eyes? Does the patient simply want to breathe better or do they desire improvements in both breathing and the look of their nose?
Comprehensive rhinoplasty consultation involves external nasal and endoscopic examination with external photographic documentation. Once the patient's goals are established, Dr. Dodson will have a clear, transparent discussion about treatment options. Goals range from improving nasal airflow (function) to improving both the function and the visual appearance (cosmetics) of the nose.
Functional Rhinoplasty
On occasion, structural nasal deformities which block airflow require more extensive surgery than simpler surgeries such as septoplasty. A severely deviated nasal septum involving its front (caudal) segment often requires specialized surgical maneuvers. In other patients, weakness of the nasal sidewall (nasal valve collapse) requires cartilage graft placement to provide internal support. Although functional rhinoplasty intends to not alter nasal cosmetics, there are always subtle post-operative changes to the nasal cosmetic contour.
The most frequent surgical approach used in costmetic and functional rhinoplasty is the open septo-rhinoplasty (OSR) approach. OSR is almost always combined with adjunctive procedures, such as endoscopic medial flap turbinoplasty (inferior turbinate reduction), to improve the long-term breathing results.
Cosmetic Rhinoplasty
Cosmetic rhinoplasty seeks to improve the cosmetic appearance of nose while maintaining or improving the functional aspects of the nose-- put simply, improvements in the look of the nose, when properly done, must not sacrifice nasal breathing. Dr. Dodson uses the open septo-rhinoplasty approach for nearly all his cosmetic rhinoplasty surgery. This rhinoplasty approach allows superior access to the nasal cartilage framework for modification. (The AI-generated image series, above, demonstrates common cosmetic changes patients request.)
Cost
Functional rhinoplasty is often a covered benefit of medical insurance. Our team will do everything in it's power to obtain prior authorization for your surgery. This labor-intensive process involves many staff-hours submitting clinical notes, external/endoscopic photographic documentation, and support documents to help ensure coverage.
Medical insurance does not cover cosmetic nasal surgery of any kind. The cost of cosmetic surgery, as a stand-alone or à la carte procedure, can prevent some patients from considering it. We keep our cosmetic surgery fees lower than our competitors to increase the number of patients we can serve in our community.
Functional rhinoplasty is a good time to make cosmetic adjustments to the nose since these cosmetic procedures do not significantly compound post-surgical recovery time or severity.
