Dr. Connors' Approach to Rhinoplasty - Atlanta, GA

Hi. My name is John Connors. I'm a Harvard-trained plastic surgeon practicing in Atlanta, Georgia, and I'd like to talk to you about rhinoplasty.

Rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nasal surgery, is a significant interest of mine and a significant volume of my patients. I see a number of patients that are unhappy with the appearance of their nose. It can be anywhere from a bump on the nose to the shape of the tip of the nose. It's a complicated, complex procedure, in that cosmetic nasal surgery also encompasses functional nasal surgery. I try to create a nose that looks great and also functions well. So I talk to patients a lot about the function of the nose, and we also talk about the cosmesis of it, or what their goals are.

My interest is in natural rhinoplasty results, and I think the best way to achieve those results is to really understand what the patient's goal is. What are they looking for? In my consultation, I ask a lot of questions. I love to talk, but I think the component that really suits me best in a consultation is listening. I think listening to the patient and really being silent, to understand what their goals are, is beneficial to me.

I use that knowledge when I examine a patient, but I also translate it when I use my 3D imager. I can take a patient into my 3D imager. I can take their picture. I can use that image and what a patient discussed with me are their goals after cosmetic surgery, and I can translate them into a three-dimensional potential result. Then I can take that patient's picture and I can rotate it back and forth and further understand what their goals are. I think a picture is worth a thousand words. The ability to educate a patient to what I think their potential results might be with rhinoplasty is fantastic.

I parlay those informational components, really, into the operating room. I take those pictures and I bring those 3D images into the operating room so that, at the time of surgery, I can specifically measure exactly what I'm going to do and how I'm going to deliver a result based on those 3D images. So I think for me the power is phenomenal.

I also see a number of patients that require revision surgery. They've had surgery elsewhere and are unhappy with the results. Those patients demand a lot of attention. They've had a bad experience. Typically I can utilize their understanding of rhinoplasty and their understanding of what components are critical to them to guide their results.

Many times I'll reconstruct the nose using a small graft from the forehead and, potentially, either septal cartilage from the inside, or even rib cartilage, to reconstruct the nose. I think the goal of a natural result, a non-surgical result, really can be achieved with sometimes a little more aggressive surgery. So we discuss that with a patient.

Rhinoplasty I think is a very difficult procedure. It requires precision. It requires experience. I think that managing patients' expectations is critical to them understanding their result, and I love it. I think it's great.