Asian rhinoplasty in Los Angeles is a specialized nose job procedure to sculpt and shape your finest feature without forsaking your unique beauty. After all, your sublime Asian appearance is a source of authentic pride. Your ethnic facial features visibly connect you to your parents, your heritage and your illustrious history. Dr. Kenneth Kim understands how to enhance your essential essence so that you can be your best self without fundamentally changing the way that you look.
Asian Rhinoplasty
Enhance Your Essential Essence
Dream Medical Group is a Beverly Hills-based aesthetic practice that provides premium plastic surgery services to the citizens of Southern California and smiling Asian faces worldwide. Dr. Kim is our Chief Surgeon and founder of the Los Angeles Dream Medical Group Branch. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, but sunny Los Angeles is now his home. Dr. Kim is regionally recognized and internationally known for his extensive knowledge in Asian cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. He is an expert in Asian rhinoplasty and revision Asian rhinoplasty.
Contact Dream Medical to learn more about our ethnic aesthetics. Dr. Kim specializes in Asian aesthetic surgery. Call 213-700-4297 to schedule a consultation.
The Ethnic Nose Job
Dr. Kim rolls out his rhinoplasty procedure to correct cosmetic concerns and to repair damaged, malfunctioning nasal structures that can hinder easy breathing. Asian nose job in Los Angeles presents additional challenges that distinguish it from standard Nose Surgery. Dr. Kim’s practiced hand moves elegantly and intuitively through the necessary sequence of surgical techniques. He aims to optimize your inherent aesthetic appeal while preserving the integrity of your distinctive ethnic appearance.
NOSE SURGERY’S ANCIENT ORIGINS ON THE ASIAN SUBCONTINENT
The rhinoplasty procedure has been improving patients’ appearances for millennia. The nose job was one of the first cosmetic operations in recorded human history. The cruel brand of justice they practiced on the ancient Indian Peninsula furnished the medical necessity. The exacting rulers of that ancient age pitilessly punished thieves, adulterers and throngs of other unlucky lawbreakers by chopping off their noses! Pioneering plastic surgeons stitched together new noses from stray flaps of their patients’ own flesh to (very) roughly approximate their appearance prior to mutilation. Admittedly, crime rates were low and demand was high amongst the beakless bandits who sought assistance to repair their unsightly severed snouts. The doctors of the day developed the world’s first plastic surgery techniques.
Fascinating! Isn’t it? And it’s only fair to say that the information rendered here is just the tip of the iceberg. Dr. Kim’s international training and worldly wisdom is further chronicled in the Dream Medical Group blog where we do a regular deep dive into the latest medical advancements.
Benefits
Contrary to common perception, plastic surgery is not about moving toward change but returning to balance. For all its transformative surgical techniques, the ancient practice’s artistic aims are oriented toward restoring an intrinsic symmetry to achieve your essential harmony. Dr. Kim is an expert in Asian Plastic Surgery. He does beautiful work. Not even the infinite scroll can contain the gratitude on our reviews page.
ASIAN RHINOPLASTY CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
- Improves facial balance and harmony
- Enhances nasal appearance
- Provides natural-looking results
- Offers outstanding secondary or revision rhinoplasty results
- Improves breathing
- Reduces snoring
- Improves the appearance of a previously broken nose
- Enhances the appearance of the nose while maintaining Asian aesthetic beauty
Quintessential Candidates
You can enhance your appearance without compromising cultural identity. Asian rhinoplasty’s Los Angeles aspirants seek subtle enhancement to the shape of their nose. Less is more! A minimalist approach should bring balance and harmony without creating distracting or drastic changes.
Your Private Consultation at Dream Medical Group
Dr. Kenneth Kim’s medical career is punctuated by impressive achievements. He is an alumni of the University of California, Berkeley, and a Rhodes Scholar nominee. He attended medical school in the Ivy League at Yale University. Contact us and begin your journey of personal discovery.
Call 213-319-3382 to consult Dr. Kim’s tremendous expertise.
Procedure
On your surgery day, you will report to Dream Medical Group at your appointed time. Rhinoplasty is an outpatient procedure. Dr. Kim’s on-site operating room is well-equipped to meet whatever needs may arise during the course of your nose surgery. “Our practice only seems like a dream because we’ve prepared for everything,” Dr. Kim is fond of saying.
When your operation is underway, Dr. Kim and his attending crew will gently release you to the safe, warm embrace of the anesthesia. You will feel no pain, no fear and the needling anxieties that may have once held you in their cold, steel grip will dissolve like an ice cube floating in a tropical drink on a hot summer day.
Depending on the individualized treatment plan that you made with Dr. Kim, the doctor’s incision patterns will conform to either an “open” or “closed” paradigm. In open rhinoplasty, Dr. Kim carefully separates your nose structures from the grander complexity of your face. He will gently open your nose open as you might draw back the hanging hood of a soft and comfortable sweatshirt. The open technique grants the doctor the greatest access to the internal structures of your nose. But, as a more involved variation of rhinoplasty, the open nose surgery comes with a more intricate pattern of incisions and a slightly longer recovery period.
Often, Dr. Kim is able to skillfully minimize the required number of incisions and perform a closed rhinoplasty procedure. In closed nose surgery, Dr. Kim adroitly operates upon your nasal structures with far less disruption to your facial arrangement.
You may already know that no two noses are quite alike. To shape your ideal Asian features, Dr. Kim performs a unique sequence of procedures.
BULBOUS NOSE CORRECTION
If your case requires a Bulbous Nose Correction, Dr. Kim will work to refine the tip of your nose, narrowing it to a more precise point. Also known as a Tip Plasty, the surgery involves repositioning the alar cartilages at the nasal tip and removing the excess soft tissue.
NOSE REDUCTION
Wide, gaping nostrils can have a negative effect on the delicate aesthetics of your nose. Nose Reduction improves the construction of the nasal cartilages. Dr. Kim trims down the overall size of the nose as well as nostrils.
RHINOPLASTY AUGMENTATION
A squat, short, low-sitting nose can be one of the less flattering features on some Asian faces. Rhinoplasty augmentation is a procedure that raises the bridge of the nose using implants. Dr. Kim may also define the nasal bridge through the use of a cartilage graft.
Silicone Implants vs. Autologous Cartilage Grafting
In order to augment the desirable aspects of your nose, Dr. Kim may employ either silicone implants or an autologous cartilage grafting technique. Both variations aim for the same ends and achieve them through similar means—by adding structure and volume to your olfactory organ. Their differences come down to a matter of material.
Plastic surgeons use a diverse assortment of silicone implants for cosmetic procedures throughout the body, from the tip of the nose to the back of the buttocks. Silicone has proven to be a versatile, reliable material for aesthetic augmentation. But Dr. Kim believes that there is a better way.
A rib cartilage graft employs your body’s own tissue to give your nose ananatomical upgrade. A cartilage graft is soft and malleable. What is unique about the way Dr. Kenneth Kim prepares the cartilage graft is that he dices the cartilages into a particle that is less than 1mm. As a frame of reference, that kind of micro dicing leads to the diced cartilage particles that is smaller than the size of a salt particle! The second thing that is unique to Dr. Kenenth Kim’s autologous cartilage rhinoplasty technique is that his dorsum or the bridge of the nose is 3 dimensionally contoured to give the perfect dorsal or bridge shape. The advantage is that the edges can blend seamlessly with a patient’s own tissue and look flawless. In a typical rib cartilage Asian rhinoplasty, the bridge of the nose does not have the perfect 3 dimensional definition and form. In addition, when Dr. Kim performs rhinoplasty using your own rib cartilages, he also augments retracted columella (bottom of the nose). This will make your protruding upper lip appear LESS protruding and thus give a refined, elegant appearance.
As your graft heals, your living cartilage tissue will inevitably intermingle with the familiar cells at your graft site. Your body will begin to supply blood to the graft, nurturing it as it does any other tissue.
Hence, the biggest advantage of an autologous cartilage graft is that, unlike silicone implants, your body recognizes the augmentation as a “friendly” presence. Rather than risking the possibility of rejection that can come with any manufactured implant, autologous grafts are in fact embraced by the body and welcomed into the vital functions of your body’s cellular community.
The Problem of Using Cadaver Tissue in Asian Nose Surgery/ Asian Rhinoplasty
Cadaver tissue is sometimes used in Asian rhinoplasty as a material to augment or increase the size of the nose in Asian nose surgery. The cadaver tissue is either cartilage or a dermal graft.
Cadaver tissues are used for two main reasons in Asian rhinoplasty:
The primary reason is whether there has been past problems with a silicone implant. In revision rhinoplasty, where the prior silicone implant has created a complication such as an infection or shortening of the nose, a cadaver tissue can be used.
Another reason for using a cadaver tissue, such as dermis, is to add padding to the silicone at the tip of the nose. Sometimes in Asian nose surgery, the tip can be subjected to a significant amount of pressure during augmentation.
A plastic surgeon may put cadaver skin to augment the nasal tip or to give some padding to the nose tip.
However, the main problem of these cadaver tissues is that they are unpredictable when it comes to resorption. During Asian rhinoplasty, if this cadaver cartilage (irradiated cartilage) or dermis (Alloderm) is used, then a few years after surgery, there will be a change in shape. In Korean rhinoplasty, many Korean plastic surgeons use cadaver dermis (Alloderm) on the nasal tip.
It is quite common for Korean plastic surgeons to apply cadaver skin on the nasal tip. But once your body absorbs them, the tip will thin out and you can feel the silicone implant on the nasal tip.
When the cadaver cartilage is used to increase the nasal tip projection in Asian nose surgery or Korean nose surgery, the nasal tip projection decreases over time.
Nasal tip projection decreases because one’s own body will try to get rid of irradiated cartilage from a cadaver. Cadaver tissue’s durability is low.
During the consultation, Dr. Kenneth Kim will go over whether one has received cadaver tissue and how stable the cadaver cartilage or skin is. Dr. Kim does not use cadaver dermis (Alloderm) in Asian rhinoplasty or Asian nose surgery. Dr. Kenneth Kim will remove them and use your own tissue to perform revision Asian rhinoplasty / revision Asian nose surgery.
The Problem of Silicone Implants in Asian Rhinoplasty / Asian Nose Surgery
Asian rhinoplasty or Asian nose surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures in Asia. And silicone is the most commonly used material.
Rather than only discussing the benefits of silicone implants in Asian nose surgery, it is important to discuss the problems or complications that can arise.
One of the problems is migration or movement of the silicone implant in the nose. The silicone implant can shift from side to side when one touches the implant on the bridge of the nose. This happens because the silicone implant does not firmly adhere or does not firmly attach to the bridge of the nose.
Another issue that can arise in Asian rhinoplasty is the silicone implant can be positioned to the side. Therefore, rather than being in the midline, the silicone implant slides to one side, resulting in the implant becoming mal-positioned.
Eventually, the silicone can even extrude or come through the skin of the Asian nose. Another issue of using silicone in Asian nose surgery is that the silicone implant can migrate down and put pressure on the tip of the nose.
The resulting symptom may be intermittent redness on the tip. However, as the pressure on the nasal tip progresses, the silicone implant can thin the skin of the nasal tip.
Lastly, the silicone implant can develop capsular contracture and cause shortening of the nose in Asians. This shortening is due to significant scar tissue that forms around the silicone implant in the nose of Asians.
If the capsular contracture of the silicone implant on the nose is significant, then the nose will become a short nose.
When Can I Kiss My Lover After Rhinoplasty?
Be patient with your pucker! For the first two weeks after surgery, avoid pursing the lips as in whistling, applying lipstick, kissing or sucking on a straw. A reserved range of motion at the surgery site will help the healing process. Just like you did at your Jr. High dance, proceed cautiously with your amorous displays of affection until Dr. Kim confirms you have sufficiently healed. This will shorten your recovery and ensure the integrity of your results.
References
- Byun, J. S., & Kim, K. K. (2013). Correction of Asian Short Nose with Lower Lateral Cartilage Repositioning and Ear Cartilage Grafting. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 1(6). doi:10.1097/gox.0b013e3182a85b29
- Jeong, J. Y., Oh, S., Suh, M. K., Kim, C. K., & Kim, K. K. (2014). Effective Use of a Silicone-induced Capsular Flap in Secondary Asian Rhinoplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 2(6). doi:10.1097/gox.0000000000000126
- Oh, Y. H., Seo, J. W., Oh, S. J., Oum, I. T., Kim, G., Kim, J., . . . Kim, K. K. (2016). Correction of Severely Contracted Nose. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 138(3), 571-582. doi:10.1097/prs.0000000000002516
- Park, J. H., & Jin, H. R. (2012). Use of Autologous Costal Cartilage in Asian Rhinoplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 130(6), 1338–1348. https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0b013e31826d9f03
*Results May Vary
