Rhinoplasty for Midwest City Patients: The Drive, the Consult, the Aftercare

The distance from Midwest City

Our practice is located at 12400 Saint Andrew's Drive in Oklahoma City. Midwest City sits about 15 miles away in a straight line; actual drive time will depend on your route and traffic. Parking is free and on-site. On surgery day, your driver pulls directly to the entrance for drop-off and pick-up.

Consultations are available in person at the Oklahoma City office or virtual from anywhere. A virtual consult lets you have a thorough initial conversation without making the drive. When surgery is scheduled, a single in-person pre-operative visit confirms the plan. You leave that visit with a written plan and a written, all-in number — both yours to keep, to decide on your own time.

What rhinoplasty actually does

Rhinoplasty reshapes the nose — the bone and cartilage that give it its shape — so it sits in proportion with the rest of your face. It can make the nose smaller, straighter, or more balanced. It can also open a blocked airway in the same operation, addressing a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates while refining the outer shape.

The nose and the chin set each other's proportions. Chin augmentation is one of the most common companions to rhinoplasty. Whether one, the other, or both makes sense is a consultation conversation — not something decided from a photograph alone.

A second surgery to correct an old nose job is called a revision. Revision rhinoplasty is harder and planned more carefully. Dr. Cuzalina has published peer-reviewed work specifically on revision rhinoplasty and on the complex nasal deformities associated with cleft lip and palate [Sources 0, 1, 2, 3, 4].

The surgeons who perform rhinoplasty here

Rhinoplasty at this practice is performed by Dr. Angelo Cuzalina and Dr. Chase Nelson. Dr. Cuzalina is the practice founder, a past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, and a published rhinoplasty author with peer-reviewed chapters on primary rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, and cleft nasal reconstruction [Sources 0, 1, 2, 3, 4]. Dr. Nelson is a cosmetic otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) who completed his fellowship at Tulsa Surgical Arts.

You choose your surgeon when you book. Surgery is performed in our AAAHC-accredited surgery center in Oklahoma City, with general anesthesia administered by a board-certified anesthesia provider. Most patients return home the same day with an adult to help. The facility includes a private overnight guest suite if your surgeon recommends a monitored stay.

What happens in the operating room

You are fully asleep under general anesthesia. A small incision is made in the columella — the strip of skin between the nostrils — and just inside the nostrils. The skin is lifted off the underlying cartilage and bone. The framework is then refined: judicious removal, repositioning with sutures, and grafts placed for support and contour.

Functional issues such as a deviated septum or turbinate hypertrophy are remedied during the same operation. The nasal skin is laid back into place and closed with fine suture. Internal splints are placed, followed by external tape and a splint. Surgery usually takes two to three hours.

Recovery, honestly

The first few days bring a stuffy nose, bruising under the eyes, and mild aching. Keep your head raised. Do not blow your nose. At one week the splint comes off, and most bruising fades over the following week. By two weeks most people return to work or school. Avoid glasses resting on the bridge unless cleared by your surgeon.

At six weeks the bones are stable enough for contact sports and heavy lifting. The tip continues to refine for up to a year. Swelling hides the final shape for months, so judgment waits. That patience is part of the process — and we follow you through it at every post-operative visit.

For Midwest City patients, follow-up visits happen at the same Oklahoma City office. The drive is the same one you already know. If any concern arises between visits, the team is reachable by phone at 405-751-0042. For any emergency symptom — difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, signs of a blood clot — call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room first.

Risks you should know before your consult

Every surgery has risks. The main ones for rhinoplasty include a shape you are not satisfied with, the possibility of a small touch-up later, nosebleeds in the first days, infection, numb skin at the tip that usually returns over months, and uneven results — the two sides of the face are never a perfect match. Rare risks include a small hole in the wall between the nostrils and bleeding that requires a return to the operating room.

Blood clots in the legs are a risk of any surgery under general anesthesia. A clot can travel to the lungs, and that is an emergency. We go over every risk with you in person before any decision is made. Consult a qualified surgeon to understand how these risks apply to your specific anatomy and health.

Individual results vary. This article is general education, not medical advice.