Nose FAQs

Sydney cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr Darryl Hodgkinson, who has been performing rhinoplastic surgery, more commonly known as surgery to the nose, for over 20 years, takes the mystery out of the procedure by answering your most commonly asked questions.

What is a good age to have my nose fixed?

I find the most common age for people to undergo nose surgery is in their young adult years between the ages of 20 and 40. The range of patient ages, however, extends from 15 to 75 years old.

I have problems breathing. Can this be fixed at the same time as nose surgery?

Yes. It is common for people who are interested in nose surgery, especially if they have had an accident or broken nose and the septum of the nose has been damaged or twisted, to require the internal tissues to be repaired at the same time as the appearance of the outside of the nose is improved.

I want to have my nose fixed but how long will I have to be off work?

Recovery from rhinoplasty takes from seven to 10 days, and the operation is routinely carried out as an outpatient at the Double Bay Day Surgery. Patients can resume most activities except for contact sports within two weeks.

How do you keep me from looking like I’ve had a ‘nose job’?

The surgeon’s expertise is your most important concern in ensuring that your result will appear natural and appropriate to your face. Communication with the patient about their expectations through viewing before and after photos, family photos, looking at popular images and computer imaging of the patient themselves, all help the surgeon to understand the patient’s expectations and to communicate to the patient the ‘look’ they can realistically expect to achieve.

The common pitfalls by less experienced surgeons who make a nose look operated on are too much tissue taken out of the tip of the nose, too great a reduction of the dorsum or bridge of the nose and an inappropriate repositioning of the nasal bones.