http://www.edgelosangeles.com/index.php?ch=style&sc=grooming&sc3=&id=96419&pg=n 2
Bad cosmetic surgery.... gone good!
by David Andrusia
Nose News is Good News
Internationally known for his reconstructive nose work, Dr. Jay Calvert (based in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach) devotes about half of his rhinoplasty practice to revising previous rhinoplasty.
"Up until the mid-80s, really, ’old school plastic surgery’ was deconstructive in nature," Dr. Calvert says. "A typical nose job consisted of rasping the hump, if there was one, taking out too much cartilage and, usually, breaking the bone.
"This was fine for an exceedingly large nose, but if smaller refinements were required, things often went badly," Dr. Calvert continues. "At the same time, there were several doctors, especially known in New York, who did the exact [same] nose on all patients, regardless of the shape of their face and the nose’s relation to other features. This led to comments such as, ’Oh, you’ve been to see Dr. X.’"
According to Dr. Calvert, "Beginning around the late ’80s, we saw a constructive approach to rhinoplasty, and this [was] pioneered in part by Dr. Jack Sheen, a prominent surgeon in Santa Barbara. Here, an analysis of the nose is done pre-operatively. In short, the ’smash [the] nose and make it smaller’ philosophy was gone, and most surgeons began taking a much more balanced approach to creating noses that fit an individual’s face in the most balanced possible way."
To refashion noses, Dr. Calvert uses diced cartilage in fascia (a supple material that lines every muscle in the human body), usually taking the needed tissue from the patient’s right ear. In this way, he is able to re-craft a nose a with natural appearance, avoiding the problems associated with earlier techniques, when too much cartilage was excised.
Taking between 2½ and 3½ hours, this delicate reconstructive surgery typically costs between $10,000 and $35,000, depending upon its complexity.
