Rhinoplasty

Dr Richard Maxwell performs aesthetic and functional rhinoplasty from his Hawthorn East Melbourne rooms. Procedures address concerns including nasal hump removal, tip reshaping, alar base reduction, and correction of asymmetry. Functional rhinoplasty incorporating septoplasty for breathing improvement may attract a partial Medicare rebate where airway compromise is documented. Both open and closed techniques are used, with approach determined by case complexity and the extent of structural modification required.

Rhinoplasty at Maxwell Plastic Surgery in Melbourne, Australia is performed by Dr Richard Maxwell FRACS — a specialist plastic surgeon whose training encompasses the full scope of facial and body plastic and reconstructive surgery. Nose reshaping surgery at this Hawthorn East practice addresses both the aesthetic appearance of the nose and, where relevant, its functional role in unobstructed breathing — making rhinoplasty one of the more technically demanding procedures in the plastic surgical repertoire, as structural changes to the cartilaginous and bony framework must simultaneously serve visual harmony and physiological airflow. The open rhinoplasty technique, which involves a small transcolumellar incision joining bilateral marginal incisions within the nostrils, provides direct visualisation of the entire nasal skeleton — the upper lateral cartilages, lower lateral cartilages, nasal bones, and septal cartilage — and is the preferred approach for cases requiring significant structural reshaping, cartilage grafting, or tip definition work. The closed (endonasal) technique, with all incisions placed within the nasal cavities, is appropriate for more limited procedures with good existing structural support and produces less post-operative external swelling. Common aesthetic goals addressed in the Melbourne practice include reduction of a prominent dorsal hump through rasping or controlled osteotomy, tip refinement through suture techniques and conservative cartilage resection to improve tip definition and rotation, narrowing of an excessively wide nasal base through alar base resection, and correction of nasal asymmetry including post-traumatic deformity. Where septoplasty is required to address a deviated nasal septum causing airway compromise, or turbinate reduction is indicated for turbinate hypertrophy, these functional components are integrated into the operative plan and may attract a Medicare rebate for the relevant procedural components. Melbourne and wider Victoria patients considering rhinoplasty are assessed through a detailed consultation that includes photographic documentation and discussion of realistic outcome expectations, post-operative recovery timelines, and potential risks. Residual tip swelling commonly persists for up to twelve months while the final result settles.