Regardless of where you had your initial consultation, all surgical procedures take place at KIMS Hospital in Maidstone. Most outpatient appointments, including follow up appointments with your Consultant, can take place at either KIMS Hospital or Sevenoaks Medical Centre.

A rhinoplasty procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic and takes 90 minutes to three hours to complete.

There are two approaches to rhinoplasty; open and closed.

With a closed rhinoplasty, your Consultant will make cuts on the inside of your nose and dissolvable stitches will be used.

Open rhinoplasty is often used if the shape of the tip of your nose needs changing. Your Consultant will cut down the centre of the nose to take away cartilage or move it and may also need to break the small bones at the side of the nose and reset them to ensure a good shape once healed. Sometimes an implant or graft is needed to add structure and your Consultant may pack the inside of the nose to stop bleeding or apply a temporary splint to the outside to give extra support.

After the procedure, you will be taken back to your room to rest.

You should be able to return home on the same day as your procedure. For closed rhinoplasty your pack will be removed a few hours after your procedure, before you go home. This might cause a little bleeding, but this is normal.

For open rhinoplasty the dressings will remain on your nose for a few days before they are removed at a follow up appointment.

You should not drive or operate machinery for 24 hours after your operation and make sure you follow the instructions of your medical team. You will need to stay off work for two weeks and should avoid blowing your nose for the first week after the operation. It can take around six months for the nose to fully settle into its final shape.