Dr. Etai Funk's Blog

We frequently will have older patients inquiring about rhinoplasty and if they are still a candidate for cosmetic nose surgery.  While the average age for rhinoplasty is usually in the 20's, Dr. Funk performs rhinoplasty on patients in their 50's, 60's, and even 70's!  

It is important to note that when we age our nasal skin changes.  The skin over the bridge of the nose thins while the…

Many of my Houston rhinoplasty and facelift patients will ask if they can have combined surgery for their nose with other parts of their face.  It is not uncommon to have rhinoplasty with eyelid surgery, a chin implant, otoplasty, and yes, even a facelift.  It is important to assure that each patient is medically cleared to undergo the required hours of anesthesia for combination surgery.  

Dr.…

Many of my Houston revision rhinoplasty patients will require ear cartilage for their revision if insufficient septal cartilage remains due to their previous surgery(s).  The ear cartilage is taken from the concha which is the bowl shaped area of cartilage.  The incision is behind the ear and will not change the shape of the ear.  

Dr. Funk is a top…

Many of our Houston rhinoplasty patients will ask about incisions with rhinoplasty and where the scars will be located after surgery.  For open rhinoplasty patients, everyone gets an incision in the mid columella between the nostrils.  This scar heals very well and Dr. Funk rarely has patients have many complaints about it.  All the rest of the incisions are hidden…

Some of our Houston rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty patients may present with a septal perforation due to a previous surgery, trauma, or intranasal drug abuse.  Many of these patients may experience crusting, bleeding, and whistling due to this septal perforation.  If possible, Dr. Funk will repair these septal perforations during rhinoplasty and repair any septal…

Many of our Houston rhinoplasty and ethnic rhinoplasty patients who have a low bridge will want to augment the bridge of their nose to create better definition and lines to the nose.  Every rhinoplasty surgeon may have different techniques and use different materials to augment the bridge of the nose.  Dr. Funk usually prefers utilizing cartilage from your own septum,…

Many of our Houston rhinoplasty patients will ask during their postop visits if they need a steroid injection.  After rhinoplasty, scar tissue is deposited between the skin and the cartilage as the nose heals.  Ideally, the skin should adhere back to the new bony-cartilaginous framework that was reshaped during rhinoplasty.  However, if an undesirable amount of scar…

Many of my Houston rhinoplasty patients will ask if they will need to have their nostrils brought in during rhinoplasty.  This is called an alar base reduction or alar flare reduction.  With ethnic rhinoplasty, this is quite common in order to create narrower, smaller nostrils.  In some patients who have overprojected nasal tips, bring down the nasal tip will widen…

Many of our Houston revision rhinoplasty patients will present with a crooked nose that they want straightened.  Revision rhinoplasty is a difficult operation given the scar tissue that lies under the skin and surrounds the cartilage.  This scar tissue truly envelops the cartilage making it stiffer, less malleable, and more difficult to reshape.  The cartilage…

Many of my Houston rhinoplasty patients are beginning to ask about preservation rhinoplasty as an option for their nose surgery.  The concept behind preservation rhinoplasty for a dorsal hump is to fracture the nasal bones surrounding the hump and push the hump down as opposed to traditional open or closed rhinoplasty where the dorsal hump is resected.  The issue with…