HYDERABAD: Rhinoplasty, the surgical correction of nose either for cosmetic purposes or cure certain breathing problems, is gaining popularity among Indian youth.
Rhinoplasty in simple terms means plastic surgery done on nose. Nose plastic surgery is done to correct nose deformities like saddle nose, flat nose, bulbous tip of the nose, hump nose, among other deformities. In all these cases the surgery of nose is done for cosmetic purposes, said Dr N Vishnu Swaroop Reddy, chief facial plastic surgeon and Head of Department of ENT, facial plastic, head and neck surgery, Care Hospitals, Hyderabad explaining about rhinoplasty.
Besides cosmetic reasons, rhinoplasty is also done for functional purposes as in case of treating of breathing related problems. For instance in case of treating blockages in nose, straightening of deviated nasal septum, among other problems, rhinoplasty is done for improving the functioning of breathing system.
According to the observation of Facial Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeons India Trust (FRCSI) while one third of rhinoplasty surgeries are done purely for cosmetic purpose, half are done for functional purposes. Besides these, rhinoplasty surgeries are also done in cases of accidents.
“Barring accident cases, most of the people who opt for nose plastic surgeries are in the age group of 20 to 30 years, thus signifying the increasing awareness and acceptance for plastic surgeries among younger generation,” stated Dr M Sridharan, cosmetic and plastic surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
“While awareness and acceptance levels about nose plastic surgery are slowly improving, still a lot of effort has to done in this regard, as many are silently suffering about their appearance but are unable to express or are not completely aware of the plastic surgery procedure.
If they know that plastic surgery can be performed without any side effects and with minimum hospital stay, many more will opt for it,” opined Dr Vishnu Swaroop Reddy.
While simple rhinoplasty can be done even without a hospital stay, in case of complex rhinoplasty a person can get back to normal life with in a week. With rhinoplasty surgery costing between Rs 70,000 to Rs One lakh youngsters from upper middle class and higher income are finding it an easy way to change their appearance and improve looks.
Global Workshop at Care Hospital
A third international rhinoplasty workshop was held at Care Hospitals here on Saturday. T he rhinoplasty workshop is held to create awareness and impart rhinoplasty skills for plastic surgeons and ENT surgeons, said course director DR N Vishnu Swaroop Reddy. About 200 surgeons from all over world participated in the workshop.
‘Need for More Skilled Surgeons to Perform TKA’
As more and more people are falling prey to Osteoarthritis (OA) of knees, Dr KJ Reddy, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeons at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, explained about the significance of Total Knee Arthoplasty (TKA) in an interview.
How many people are suffering with Osteoarthritis (OA) of knee in India today?
According to medical estimates about 26 million people are suffering with Osteoarthritis of knee of which 7.5 million need knee replacement. Among them just one lakh are opting for knee replacements. Even among those who have undergone knee replacement surgery, about ten percent need revision knee replacement. Total Knee Arthoplasty (TKA) is needed for revision knee replacement.
When does an Osteoarthritis patient needs a TKA?
A patient undergoing knee replacement surgery for the second time or for those whose first knee replacement surgery has failed need a TKA.
Can you explain in detail?
For instance after undergoing first knee surgery a second one might be needed say after 15 to 20 years due to wear and tear or due to loosening of artificial joint. When performed by unskilled surgeons or in substandard conditions some knee replacement surgeries might fail due to infections. In this case a TKA is needed when a patient knee has to be replaced for second time.
How is TKA done?
The procedure of TKA is same as a knee replacement surgery but has to be done with utmost care as there is zero scope for error. Also the patient might have already suffered due to failed knee replacement earlier and we need to instil in him confidence and also ensure that surgery is done carefully on the knee which had undergone degeneration.
How many TKAs are done in India?
About 10,000 to 12,000 patients need it. But hardly 1,000 TKAs are done in India annually now. Therefore to address the issue Apollo Hospitals has set up a specialised division. The hospitals has joined hands with Dr Heiko Graichen, medical director of Asklepios, Orthopaedic Clinic Lindenlohe, Germany, to train orthopaedic surgeons in India.
This will help in building a pool of skilled orthopaedic surgeons who can perform a critical surgery like TKA. Heiko Graichen conducted a workshop for orthopaedic surgeons at Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad on Saturday. He will visit Apollo twice a year to operate and teach surgeons on TKA.