For the past 100 years rhinoplasty, or nasal reshaping, surgery has been performed in pretty much the same way. There have been minor alterations, here and there, in technique: open vs. closed approach, graft vs. no graft, alloplastic vs. autologous grafts, hand-held rasps/chisels vs. powered rasps/chisels, etc. What all techniques have had in common is that the tools used were fairly simple in what they could do to reshape the nasal bones to create elegant lines and shapes. With social media driving an increasing number of patients to the offices of plastic surgeons around the world, it hasn’t escaped notice that patients are seeking even greater refinement of their features.

Most people are familiar with ultrasound if they’ve ever had children. All parents remember the joy created by getting to see the ultrasound pictures of their unborn children. Ultrasound has been used for decades in radiology to detect lesions and masses of all kinds. More recently, dentists have been using ultrasonic equipment to gently clean teeth and help them with delicate dental bone surgery. The technology uses high speed sound waves to power tiny tools to vibrate ever so gently to perform removal of surface tissues like plaque and bone.

In the world of plastic surgery, ultrasound technology has also been used, primarily for body contouring and fat reduction. For example, the VASER device is a tool used by liposuction specialists, like Dr. Shah, to gently melt fat with sound waves before regular liposuction techniques are used to remove excess fat. Ultrasound is also used in some devices like Ulthera to melt fat of the face and tighten skin to perform nonsurgical face rejuvenation.

In the last couple of years, the world of rhinoplasty has been turned on it’s head with the introduction of ultrasonic rhinoplasty tools that allow the expert nasal surgeon to perform more delicate alterations to the nose than was previously possible with traditional tools. Dr. Manish Shah, a Denver board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in advance rhinoplasty techniques, has introduced the first ultrasonic rhinoplasty device to the Mountain West region of the United States. There are only a few devices available to patients in the country.

Social media and nasal contouring make-up techniques have driven an interest in more sculpted nasal shaping. With this new device, Dr. Shah has been able to create more elegant results for his rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty patients. The device has a number of ultrasonic tips available to perform varying technical maneuvers.

Dr. Shah has the Expert Tip Set that allows him the greatest variety of tools to work with during difficult rhinoplasty cases.

The device that Dr. Shah uses is made by Comeg Medical, a European company that excels in the manufacture of ultrasonic medical equipment. Because the device uses high speed sound to gently vibrate the tips, Dr. Shah is able to create less trauma during surgery to surrounding tissues, focusing most of the trauma only on the nasal bones themselves. This results in less swelling, pain, and recovery time.

The young woman below had an ultrasonic rhinoplasty, and it is easy to see how natural her nose looks.

While most rhinoplasty surgeons around the world continue to use the simple rasp and chisel to perform their nasal reshaping, whether manual or powered, the more savvy surgeon wanting greater outcomes for their patients has moved into the arena of ultrasonic surgery. Dr. Shah keeps rasps on his back table during rhinoplasty surgery, still using them when appropriate, but he is quite satisfied with the change his rhinoplasty practice has seen in terms of enhance patient satisfaction since the introduction of the ultrasonic rhinoplasty device.

For more information about Ultrasonic Rhinoplasty, please visit Dr. Shah’s website.