For many people, the idea of undergoing rhinoplasty can seem daunting. If you’ve never had surgery before but are looking to alter the shape of your nose, injection rhinoplasty could be the best option for you. However, there are several differences between surgical and non-surgical (injection) rhinoplasty that could affect your decision on which procedure to have.
What is injection rhinoplasty?
Injection rhinoplasty is a non-surgical procedure that uses injectable fillers to correct the shape of the nose. The fillers used are most commonly made of hyaluronic acid like Restylane and Juvederm or calcium hydroxyapatite like Radiesse.
What is surgical rhinoplasty?
Surgical rhinoplasty is a cosmetic procedure done to restore form and function to the nose. Besides correcting the shape of the nose, surgical rhinoplasty can also fix congenital defects and breathing issues. There are two options for surgical rhinoplasty: open, in which an incision is made on the columella (the bridge of tissues that divides the nostrils at the nasal base); and closed, where the incision is made inside the nose without affecting the columella.
Injection rhinoplasty vs. surgical rhinoplasty
| Injection Rhinoplasty | Surgical Rhinoplasty | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | The cost of injection rhinoplasty is less than its surgical counterpart. | Surgical rhinoplasty is more expensive because, unlike injection rhinoplasty, you will be having surgery. There are added costs with surgery such as anesthesia. |
| Time | Injection rhinoplasty takes about 15 minutes. | This surgical procedure takes about 2.5 hours. |
| Recovery | The downtime for injection rhinoplasty is minimal (anywhere from 2-24 hours). Some people report bruising around the injection site but it is usually slight. | There will be some swelling and bruising associated with the recovery of surgical rhinoplasty. You will have to take a few days off work and wait about 2-4 weeks before resuming your regular routine (exercising, etc.). |
| Breathing | Breathing issues cannot be corrected with injection rhinoplasty. This is done more for cosmetic reasons than to fix any blockages of the nasal passages. | Surgical rhinoplasty can fix a deviated septum (septoplasty) and undo any blockages within the nasal passages. |
| Functionality | Because injection rhinoplasty serves cosmetic purposes, it will not alter the nose’s functionality. | Surgical rhinoplasty can alter the nose’s functionality, but for the better, because breathing problems can be corrected (as mentioned above). |
| Form | The form of the nose can be altered to your specifications up to a point. For major form alternations, surgery is necessary. | Surgical rhinoplasty can alter the form of the nose as you wish. |
| Permanence | The effects of injectable rhinoplasty are not permanent and you may require touch-ups. Depending on the filler used, the results can last up to 1 year. | After undergoing a surgical rhinoplasty procedure, the results are permanent and you do not have to worry about touch-ups. |
Your surgeon will sit down with you to offer a detailed explanation of each procedure. For some, non-surgical rhinoplasty may be sufficient to correct your nasal issues. For others, their nasal issues may only be able to be fixed through surgical rhinoplasty.