Rhinoplasty & Nose Surgery questions answered in plain English

In Ireland, a primary cosmetic rhinoplasty in an accredited private hospital costs €5,500 to €8,800. Ultrasonic Piezo rhinoplasty costs €6,200 to €9,200, functional septorhinoplasty for a deviated septum plus bridge refinement costs €5,800 to €9,000, isolated tip plasty costs €3,800 to €5,500, revision rhinoplasty costs €7,500 to €11,500, and a non-surgical liquid nose job with dermal filler costs €450 to €750.

Irish private health insurers exclude purely cosmetic rhinoplasty. However, if you have a medically documented nasal airway obstruction (such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal valve collapse or post-traumatic fracture) referred by your GP, insurers frequently cover the hospital theatre and functional septoplasty procedure codes while you pay the surgeon's cosmetic rhinoplasty balance.

Under Revenue Commissioners rules, purely cosmetic surgery does not qualify for tax relief. Where a septorhinoplasty or reconstructive rhinoplasty is carried out on medical referral to correct a functional breathing disorder, trauma or congenital deformity, the qualifying medical outlay is eligible for 20% income tax relief on Form Med 1.

Traditional rhinoplasty uses surgical rasps and osteotomes (fine chisels) to narrow the nasal bones, which can cause significant bruising around the eyes. Ultrasonic Piezo rhinoplasty uses high-frequency piezoelectric vibrations that cut only mineralized bone while leaving blood vessels, mucosa and cartilage unharmed — resulting in smoother bridge lines and noticeably less bruising.

Most patients take 10 to 14 days off work or university. The external thermoplastic splint and any internal silicone Doyle splints are removed at Day 7 to 10, at which point most bruising has faded enough to go out comfortably. Strenuous gym workouts wait 4 weeks, and resting glasses on the bridge or playing contact sport waits 6 weeks.

Both Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons and Consultant Otolaryngologists (ENT / Facial Plastic Surgeons) on the Irish Medical Council Specialist Register perform rhinoplasty in Ireland. What matters most is that your surgeon is on the IMC Specialist Register and performs rhinoplasty and septorhinoplasty regularly as a core part of their practice.

Search the doctor's name or registration number at medicalcouncil.ie. For nose reshaping surgery, verify that they are registered in the Specialist Division under either 'Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery' or 'Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery)' — not merely the General Division.

Almost never. Modern Irish Plastic and ENT surgeons use either dissolvable internal quilting sutures or soft silicone Doyle splints with central airway tubes, which slide out painlessly in 5 seconds at your Day 7 clinic review.

When the nasal skin envelope is lifted during rhinoplasty, microscopic lymphatic vessels are disrupted. Fluid drains quickly from the thin upper bridge skin within 4 to 8 weeks, but the thicker, sebaceous skin of the nasal tip holds subtle residual puffiness that refines gradually over 12 to 15 months.

You must not rest heavy optical glasses or sunglasses directly on the nasal bridge for 6 weeks after bone reshaping (osteotomies or Piezo sculpting), as the weight can indent the healing nasal bones. You can wear contact lenses from Day 2–3, tape glasses to your forehead, or use a cheek-supported glasses holder.

If you are seriously considering surgical rhinoplasty within the next 1 to 2 years, most consultant surgeons advise against having nose filler injected first. Residual filler has to be dissolved with hyaluronidase at least 4 to 6 weeks before surgery so the surgeon can see your true cartilage and bone anatomy.

Irish clinics require cosmetic rhinoplasty patients to be at least 18 years old, when both nasal bone growth and the legal capacity for independent adult surgical consent are complete.