A recent interview Style.com/Arabia & Elizabeth Whiston-Dew
Dr. Jay Calvert is the go-to rhinoplasty (nose job) surgeon in Beverly Hills. Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery Society and an avid member of the Aesthetic Rhinoplasty, he has a particular interest in aesthetic rhinoplasty and reconstructive nasal surgery. Dr. Calvert has published papers within the field and has made several television appearances to lend his expert opinion. He believes that working on the nose can single-handedly take years off a patient’s age and help redefine the facial features.
We spoke to Dr. Calvert before his pending visit to the Aesthetica Clinic in Dubai this coming January (2015) about all areas of nose supremacy. If you are considering a nose revision in the New Year, here’s the handbook you must read before going under the knife:
Elizabeth Whiston-Dew: Changing the nose can have a dramatic effect on the other facial features. Do you believe this is the single most important cosmetic procedure and the key to enhancing the face?
Dr. Jay Calvert: The nose is the structure that is most capable of changing a person’s appearance. It has dramatic effects on the eyes, the facial proportions, and the age appearance of a person. For women especially, removing a bump can take years off their appearance.
Who is the ideal candidate for a nose job?
The best candidate is a patient who has clear ideas about how she wants her nose to look and those ideas are consistent with operative maneuvers that can be achieved. In other words, if there is a person who has clear-cut problems with the nose that can be altered, then that is the ideal patient for the surgery.
What are the important questions to ask at the first consultation?
There are many questions to ask at the rhinoplasty consultation, both to the surgeon and yourself.
Questions you need to ask yourself: What are my goals for rhinoplasty? What do I want to achieve by changing my nose? Are my goals realistic? Do I have the time, money, and commitment required for changing my nose? Do I understand the risks of the operations since no surgery is without risk?
Questions to ask the surgeon: What do you see as the best result for my nose? What are the limitations of the operation for my nose? How many rhinoplasty operations do you do a year? How many are like mine?
If I was a family member, what would you say about me having this operation?
Are there any new techniques that have advanced the invasive procedure dramatically?
Techniques are advancing all the time. All of these are fairly technical in nature, but they have made a difference in consistent, outstanding results in my practice.
The first one to note is the method of reconstructing the bridge of the nose with diced cartilage and deep temporalis fascia (a membrane from a muscle on the side of the head). I helped pioneer this technique and over the last ten years, I have used it in over 1,000 operations. It allows the reconstruction of the bridge of the nose in a smooth manner that looks un-operated.
Another technique is the use of spreader flaps for the reconstruction of the airway and for the aesthetics of the bridge of the nose. It uses the cartilage already present to re-contour the bridge and maintain the nasal valves for function.
A third technique that I am currently working on publishing is the concept of tip support being maintained by lateral stabilizing grafts. These are strips of cartilage that support the projection of the tip and the placement of the tip in space.
Some surgeons are criticized for replicating the same nose on every patient; how do you go about creating the perfect nose (or a better nose) for your patient?
This is due to the limitations in technique and training. In order to customize the result for each patient, a custom plan must be generated. The limitations of some surgeons stem from the training they received and the techniques they use. I have developed an individualized method of creating an operative plan and executing that plan. It is not better or worse, just different.
Which celebrity noses are often referenced as the aim by your clientele?
This depends on ethnicity. My patients are from all over the world and so they bring me pictures of celebrities from their respective cultures. However, across all cultures, the women most often referenced are Angelina Jolie and Natalie Portman.
After the initial reveal (which is usually one week after surgery), how long does it take to see the long-lasting result?
This depends on the technique and extent of the operation. If an endonasal approach (closed) technique is used, then the result is evident in almost two to three weeks. If an open (external) rhinoplasty technique is used, then the result takes up to one year. Even though the nose will look better right away, it will be more swollen at the tip and take a while to contract. It takes at least a month before it looks good, but then it will change over the next nine months.
What is the percentage of those patients who come to you for help with sinus or breathing problems?
About 15 percent.
What are some of the warning signs of a bad rhinoplasty?
If the patient isn’t happy and the defects are anatomically evident, then you may be dealing with a bad rhinoplasty. Get back to your surgeon and discuss immediately and get their guidance. Operations don’t always turn out exactly as planned and thus, revisions are common up to 15 percent of the time.