Rhinoplasty in Los Angeles: What to Ask During Your Consultation

 

Most people walk into a rhinoplasty consultation underprepared. Not because they haven’t thought about it — they have, probably for months. But there’s a difference between thinking about what you want your nose to look like and knowing what questions to actually ask the surgeon sitting across from you.

LA is full of practices offering rhinoplasty. The range in experience, technique, and honestly just basic honesty varies more than most people realize before they start booking consultations. Knowing what to ask — and knowing what a good answer sounds like — makes a real difference in who you end up trusting with your face.

Here’s what to bring into that room.

Ask about their rhinoplasty volume specifically

Not just how long they’ve been in practice. Not how many total surgeries they’ve done. Rhinoplasty specifically.

The nose is one of the most technically demanding areas in all of cosmetic surgery. A surgeon who does two rhinoplasties a month is in a very different place than one who does fifteen. The anatomy is complex, the cartilage behaves unpredictably, and results take a full year to settle. Experience with volume matters here more than it does for almost any other procedure.

Ask: “How many rhinoplasties do you perform in a typical month?” If the answer is vague, that tells you something.

Ask to see a lot of before and afters — not just the best ones

Every practice has a few showcase results they put front and center. Those aren’t the ones to focus on. Ask to see a broader portfolio, including patients whose starting point was similar to yours.

What to look at: does the result look natural? Is the nose proportionate to the rest of the face, or does it look done? Are the nostrils symmetric? Does the tip look refined or pinched?

A surgeon whose results consistently look natural across different face shapes and ethnicities is worth paying attention to. One whose gallery all looks the same — same tip shape, same profile — might be working off a template rather than working with the individual patient.
Ask whether they do open or closed rhinoplasty — and why

Open rhinoplasty involves a small incision across the columella (the strip of skin between the nostrils). Closed rhinoplasty keeps all incisions inside the nose, so there’s no external scar.

Neither is universally better. Open gives more visibility and precision for complex work. Closed has a faster recovery and no external scar for cases that don’t need that level of access.

The concern is when a surgeon does exclusively one or the other regardless of the patient’s anatomy. A good rhinoplasty surgeon chooses the approach based on what your nose actually needs, not based on what they’re most comfortable with.

Ask: “For my case specifically, would you do open or closed, and why?” The reasoning matters as much as the answer.

Ask about revision rates

Rhinoplasty has a higher revision rate than most cosmetic procedures because of how the cartilage heals and shifts over time. Nationally, the number hovers somewhere between 5 and 15 percent depending on the complexity of the cases being done.

Ask the surgeon for their revision rate. A well-run practice tracks this. Someone who doesn’t know the number — or brushes past it — is worth being cautious about.

This isn’t about finding a surgeon with zero revisions. Some revision cases come from patients who wanted something different after healing, not from surgical error. It’s about finding a surgeon who’s honest about the realities of the procedure.

Ask how they handle things if you’re not happy with the result

Nobody wants to think about this one going in. But it’s one of the most important things to know before the procedure, not after.

Does the practice offer complimentary revisions within a certain window? What’s the policy if the outcome doesn’t match what was discussed? Is there a clear communication channel if concerns come up during healing?

A surgeon who’s confident in their work will answer this without getting defensive. One who gets uncomfortable or vague when the question comes up is flagging something.

Ask what’s realistic for your nose specifically

This is the one most people skip because they’re nervous about the answer. Ask anyway.

Bring photos of what you’re hoping for. A good surgeon will tell you clearly what’s achievable with your anatomy and what isn’t. Some practices use imaging software to simulate potential results — that can be useful, but treat it as a rough guide, not a guarantee.

The nose has to work with the rest of the face. A result that looks beautiful on someone else might not suit your features the same way. A surgeon worth trusting will tell you this. One focused on closing the consultation will just tell you what you want to hear.

Red flag: a surgeon who agrees with everything you want without pushing back on anything. That’s not confidence — it’s a sales pitch.

Ask about recovery — the real version

The general timeline is this: splint comes off around a week, bruising fades by two to three weeks, most of the visible swelling settles by three months, and the final result isn’t fully visible for a year. The tip of the nose is always the last thing to refine.

Ask specifically about what to expect in the first two weeks, what activities to avoid and for how long, and when it’s safe to be back in front of people for work. For someone in a public-facing role in LA — entertainment, real estate, client services — the social recovery timeline matters as much as the physical one.

Also worth asking: what medications or supplements need to be stopped before surgery, and when. Blood thinners, fish oil, vitamin E, even some herbal teas can affect bleeding. A thorough practice goes through this in detail.

One thing that doesn’t get asked enough

Ask whether the surgeon has experience with your specific concern — not just rhinoplasty in general.

Tip work is different from bridge work. Ethnic rhinoplasty requires a different understanding of anatomy and aesthetics than a standard reduction. Revision rhinoplasty on a previously operated nose is a different discipline entirely from primary surgery.

If the concern is specific, the experience should match. Don’t assume that doing rhinoplasty generally means doing your type of rhinoplasty well. Ask directly.

What a good consultation actually feels like

There’s a difference between a consultation where you leave with a quote and a surgery date, and one where you leave actually understanding the procedure, the risks, and what to expect.

At Aesthetic & Cosmetic Surgeons in Canoga Park, consultations are one-on-one with Dr. Jain. Every case gets looked at individually. If something isn’t the right fit, that gets said directly — because the goal is the right result, not another booking.

Rhinoplasty is one of the most personal decisions someone makes about their appearance. It deserves a conversation that reflects that.

Aesthetic & Cosmetic Surgeons

7301 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite 330, Canoga Park, CA 91303

818-220-3393 · aestheticandcosmeticsurgeons.com