Video Website powered by Einstein IndustriesMinas Constantinides, MD, FACS, PC

DR. MINAS CONSTANTINIDES: Most patients who’ve come to see me have already done a fair amount of research on rhinoplasty and in fact know that there are really two types of approaches for rhinoplasty, open and closed approaches.

In the open approach, we make a small incision between the nostrils and connect it with incisions inside the nostrils. So that allows me to raise the skin off the underlying cartilage and bones of the nose, work on it, strengthen it, reshape it, and then drape the skin back down, just like raising and lowering the hood of a car.

This gives me extremely accurate amounts of control over what I do with the nose. And so millimeter by millimeter we can make changes and also leave the nose stronger than what we found it.

We always like to leave the nose strong. This prevents the nose looking done or changing over time. Rhinoplasty can also be used to support the airway. In fact, I always think about how the nose is going to work after surgery, even in patients who don’t have any trouble breathing to begin with

One of the most frequent reasons that I see patients in my practice for revision rhinoplasty is for new nasal obstruction after rhinoplasty. In fact, about one in six patients have new nasal obstruction when they've never had obstruction before rhinoplasty.

So it’s really important when you've never had surgery before to leave the nose, the airway strong too. And open approaches allow me to strengthen the airway, straighten anything that needs to be straightened, and so that I have really great confidence that I’m leaving the nose looking great and working even better after surgery.