If you’ve been unhappy with the way your nose looks, you might want to consider rhinoplasty.

Although superficially the main benefit of rhinoplasty is to correct a physical issue with your nose, the surgery has a wide range of benefits. Nose reshaping surgery can improve not only the way your nose looks, but also the way it functions. It can also provide benefits for you emotionally and socially.

Better Facial Balance

Surgery to change the way your nose looks can improve its appearance in several ways. The surgeon might make your nose smaller if you feel that it is too large for your face or he or she might enlarge the nose so that other facial features don’t overwhelm it. The surgery can also correct any crookedness in your nose or smooth down any humps. During rhinoplasty, the surgeon can also adjust the angle of the nose’s tip, so that it is more flattering.

Changing the way your nose looks can improve your appearance not because it alters your nose, but because the surgery can help your nose look as though it better fits your face. For example, if your nose is large in relation to your chin or other facial features, reducing its size will create a more balanced, harmonious face.

Improve Breathing

Rhinoplasty doesn’t have to be a strictly cosmetic surgery. In some cases, changing the shape and size of the nose can also improve its function. Known as a functional rhinoplasty, the surgery can help you breathe easier or can improve your sleep.

Functional rhinoplasty can take several forms. The type of surgery your surgeon performs depends on your particular problem. For example, if you struggle to breathe because of a deviated septum, meaning the cartilage between your nasal cavities leans too far to one side or the other, a septoplasty can correct it and improve breathing.

Another way that rhinoplasty can improve your breathing is through turbinate reduction. The turbinates are small bones, covered in mucous membranes, that are located along the nasal cavity. Every person has three turbinates in each nostril. In some cases, the turbinates become large enough to block the nasal passage and make breathing a struggle. In that case, a surgeon may reduce the size of the turbinates during rhinoplasty, so that you can breathe without difficulty after you heal.

Give Your Self-Esteem a Boost

Having rhinoplasty performed can help improve your self confidence, as long as you have realistic expectations for the way the surgery will turn out. Finally getting the surgery after living with a nose you didn’t like for years can make you feel happier about your appearance and generally improve your self-esteem.

A report published in 2013 suggested that patients who had rhinoplasty or another facial surgery, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery, were more likely to say that their self esteem had improved after surgery or that their quality of life had improved.

Improve Social Standing

To a lesser extent, rhinoplasty can also help improve a patient’s social standing. Some teenagers might wish to have the surgery if they are constantly bullied by others about the shape or size of their nose. Even though having the surgery won’t change other teens’ behavior, the confidence boost that a teenager gets from the change might be enough to help him or her better handle the bullying.

A nose-reshaping surgery might also help improve a person’s career prospects, particularly if a person works in an industry that is very focused on appearance. But it’s important to remember that rhinoplasty alone won’t determine whether or not you advance on the career ladder or move up in your job. Getting ahead in your career might be a side benefit of rhinoplasty, but it shouldn’t be the sole reason for having the procedure performed.

Understanding the benefits of rhinoplasty and the ways it might help you, can help you decide if the surgery is the right option for you. Speaking with a facial plastic surgeon who regularly performs the surgery can help you determine if it’s a good fit for you.

In Ohio , Dr. Stephen Smith is a fourth generation facial plastic surgeon. He can walk you through the process and prepare you for what to expect from rhinoplasty. Dr. Smith practices in two locations. To schedule an appointment at the practice in Gahanna, Ohio, call 614-245-4263. For an appointment in Columbus, Ohio, call 614-678-7180 for an appointment today.