Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty reshapes the nose — reducing dorsal humps, refining the tip, correcting asymmetry, narrowing wide nostrils, or straightening a deviated septum that affects both appearance and breathing. Art Ethic's senior surgeon offers both closed rhinoplasty (all incisions inside the nostrils) and open rhinoplasty (a small additional incision across the columella for more complex reshaping), selecting the approach based on the specific changes required. Where insufficient native cartilage exists for the planned reshaping, grafts can be harvested from the ear or rib without compromising those structures.

Rhinoplasty — nose reshaping surgery — is widely considered the most technically demanding aesthetic facial procedure. Subtle changes have disproportionate effects on facial harmony because the nose occupies the central third of the face and is the reference point for the perception of facial balance. At Art Ethic Beauty Clinic, rhinoplasty is performed by doc. MUDr. Martin Molitor, Ph.D., MBA, whose 25-year surgical career includes extensive experience across the full range of primary and revision nasal procedures. The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia. The surgeon uses one of two approaches depending on the complexity of the planned changes: **Closed rhinoplasty** — all incisions are placed entirely within the nostrils, leaving no external scar. Access is more limited, but for straightforward changes (dorsal hump reduction, tip modification, alar base adjustment) the closed approach provides excellent outcomes with shorter swelling duration. **Open rhinoplasty** — a short transcolumellar incision (3–4 mm across the columella, the bridge of tissue between the nostrils) is added to the internal incisions, allowing the nasal skin to be elevated off the underlying framework. This provides direct binocular vision of the cartilage and bone, enabling more precise and complex reshaping of the tip cartilages, dorsum, and base. The columellar scar is typically imperceptible after full healing. Structures addressed include: the osseocartilaginous dorsum (hump reduction by bone rasping and cartilage excision), the tip complex (reshaping of the lower lateral cartilages to refine shape and projection), the bony base (osteotomy — controlled nasal bone fracture and repositioning to narrow a wide nose), and the alar base (nostril reduction for wide flared nostrils). Septal deviation causing nasal obstruction is corrected concurrently through septoplasty, improving airflow without additional incisions. Where the native cartilage supply is insufficient for planned grafts (tip grafts, spreader grafts, alar rim grafts), autologous cartilage is harvested from the conchal bowl of the ear (invisible scar) or from a small rib cartilage section, which provides abundant graft material for more complex reconstructions. Post-operatively, internal tampons maintain septal position and are removed at the first follow-up. An external nasal splint holds the reshaped bone during initial healing and is removed at one to two weeks. Bruising beneath the eyes resolves over two to three weeks. Residual swelling — particularly at the nasal tip — continues to improve over twelve months; the refined final result is fully apparent at one year.