Primary Rhinoplasty
Dr. Toriumi understands that as your rhinoplasty surgeon, it is his mission to improve your facial appearance and nasal function. His many years of training and experience make him one of the top rhinoplasty surgeons in the world.
Because every nose differs, and its anatomy varies from patient to patient, rhinoplasty is one of the most difficult operations in the field of facial plastic surgery. The techniques used in a nasal surgery therefore must vary based on each patient's unique nasal anatomy -- both to fulfill the patient's aesthetic/functional goals and to ensure long-term health while minimizing the need for additional surgery.
Successful rhinoplasties require:
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Performing a nasal analysis that is both complete and highly precise.
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Using the nasal analysis to spot all deformities, aesthetic and functional.
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Creating a surgical plan to correct any identified deformities and provide long-term function
It takes years of experience to accomplish these steps successfully, a process Dr. Toriumi has mastered and continues to refine over more than 30 years of practice with hundreds of satisfied patients. Based on this experience and expertise, Dr. Toriumi is able to manage a wide range of deformities including complex primaries, deviated asymmetric noses, ethnic noses, noses with extreme deficiencies in projection, congenital deformities and patients with severe nasal obstruction.
Some problems - such as a bulbous nasal tip or small dorsal hump - are less complicated than other more complex conditions. However, even the "simplest" or less complicated nasal surgeries require attention to detail and precision.
Dr. Toriumi knows that rhinoplasty is an extremely difficult operation and does everything possible and spends the necessary time to give you the best outcome. He typically spends 3 to 4 hours to complete a typical primary rhinoplasty (a moderately complex secondary case may take 5 to 6 hours). One of the reasons it takes Dr. Toriumi longer to perform your rhinoplasty is that he anticipates problems that could occur long term based on your anatomy and performs special maneuvers to try to prevent these problems. He also spends a lot of time attending to the nasal airway to ensure good long term nasal function. This is a top priority for Dr. Toriumi whenever he performs a rhinoplasty. Dr. Toriumi does his absolute best to give you the optimal outcome you seek. He intends to make it your last rhinoplasty operation.
Dr. Toriumi follows all patients over many years post-surgery and works to maximize your long-term result. Regular post-surgical follow-up is critical in ensuring a good result and Dr. Toriumi encourages follow-ups for as long as needed, even several years, to ensure long-term aesthetic and structural function, as well as your long-term satisfaction.
He works with you personally both to customize his treatment to your needs and make you aware of treatment milestones. For example, at one-year post-op, your nose is only about 30% healed with the remainder of the healing occurring over your lifetime, so he and our team work with you to understand what to expect from your recovery post-surgery, including to resist the forces of scar contracture that can occur over time.
To this end, Dr. Toriumi may frequently ask you to do nasal exercises, tape your nose to decrease swelling, and occasionally receive steroid injections. Postoperative care can have a major impact on your long-term outcome and satisfaction.
