46°
How long have you been doing this procedure? I finished up fellowship training in 2010. I was doing the surgery throughout my training, so I’ve been doing it for nine years.
What are some misconceptions people have about the procedure? The number one misconception is people are worried they will have a nose that will have sloped bridge and a pinched tip. Probably from the early 1980s until now, that was the way surgeons did it. Today, we try to individualize the surgery so it doesn’t look like it has been operated on. It’s not a generic nose. The other misconception is that it’s a painful procedure with a difficult recovery. The vast majority of patients have minimal pain and only require Tylenol after surgery. Some surgeons still pack the nose with gauze, but that’s really not necessary. Without packing, pain is minimal. People are surprised how easy the recovery is.
Before a person commits to having the surgery performed, what are some of the risk/reward questions they should ask themselves? They need to be honest about what changes they want to make to their nose. They have to discuss with the surgeon whether those changes are realistic or not. If they have concurrent breathing problems, there is little chance it will be worse after surgery. If they’re changing it for cosmetic reasons, they need to be sure they’re doing it for the right reasons, and they’re doing it for themselves, and not for anybody else.
What is special about your expertise in this field? First it starts with my training. I completed a facial plastic surgery fellowship in Chicago. The surgeon I trained with was world renowned and the bulk of his practice was simple and complex rhinoplasty cases. I pay a lot of attention to the structure of the nose as I'm making the cosmetic changes. The goal is to look good, breathe well and maintain the cosmetic and functional results over time. We do a lot of cartilage grafting to make the nose even stronger before the surgery. Having been first trained in ear, nose and throat, I have a lot of experience correcting the breathing problems.
Are breathing problems common for people who have the surgery? Many patients that I take care of have cosmetic and breathing issues. I never compromise someone’s breathing for their cosmetic results.
For more information on the procedure, click on the attached PDF. More information about Dr. Losquadro is available on the Mount Kisco Medical Group website and his website.
