While many patients opt for cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance, others require reconstructive surgery to repair serious injuries and conditions and lead more normal lives.

Based in Norfolk, Nebraska, Dr. Demetrio Aguila is a skilled surgeon who can help patients achieve a normal look through nasal reconstruction. To learn more about this surgery, or to schedule a consultation, contact our office today.

Nasal reconstruction is not rhinoplasty, often called a nose job. Nasal reconstruction is surgery used to:

• Repair a nasal deformity or injury caused by trauma to the nose.
• Repair noses harmed by skin cancer.
• Correct birth defects.
• Repair damage done by other surgeries that were not performed correctly.

During nasal reconstruction, missing skin, lining or cartilage can be restored or replaced to give the nose normal appearance and function.

Doctor Aguila takes pride in consulting with his patients to review their conditions, medical histories and goals in order to decide on the precise type of surgery that is needed.

Some common nasal reconstructive procedures include:

• Simple Suturing: Because the nose does not have a lot of additional skin, only smaller defects of the upper nose can be sutured and closed without impacting the tip of the nose or your nostrils. The majority of nasal defects cannot be treated via simple suturing.
• Secondary Healing: This term describes the process used to repair small defects on the nose’s flat surfaces. This procedure prevents distortion of the nose tip and nostril margins.
• Skin Graft: A skin graft is a piece of skin without blood supply. But after the graft is placed on the area to be treated, blood vessels from the treated site will reattach to the graft over 24 hours and allow the graft to take. Skin grafts can be taken from other parts of the body, often from behind the ear, the neck area or the forehead. Most skin grafts repair small defects. Often grafts can be used after cancer surgery or traumatic injury. Grafts are unique to each patient and his or her condition.
• Local Flaps: In this procedure, extra skin can be redeployed to cover nasal defects. Flaps typically provide excellent texture and color. While flaps don’t add skin to your nose, they do use existing skin and spread it to where it’s needed.
• Regional Flaps: This process moves extra tissue from areas near the nose or forehead. The transfer is often used to repair more complex wounds.
• Forehead Flap: Skin from the forehead has long been recognized as best site to transfer material needed to repair the nose. Texture and color match well with the nose and scarring left on the forehead after the procedure is minimal. Forehead flaps are often employed to treat large and deep nasal defects.

Smaller defects can be treated with what is known as a two-stage forehead flap. In this procedure, the strip of skin from your eyebrow to the hairline is raised and moved to the nose.

There are other nasal reconstruction procedures that are available as well that Dr. Aguila is well-versed in.

Nasal reconstruction varies greatly depending on the patient and his or her medical and aesthetic goals and needs. Doctor Aguila relies on his years of experience to select the procedure that best suits each individual patient.

Recovery time and the number of procedures that may be needed for the best results also vary from patient to patient.

If your nose has been injured or disfigured, makes you feel self-conscious about your appearance or hesitant to socialize and be around other people, nasal reconstruction surgery can help restore your nose to a normal look.