If it seems like everyone you know is getting a rhinoplasty (aka nose job) during the pandemic, it isn’t just you. In northeast Ohio  (Beachwood), where Dr. Diana Ponsky practices facial plastic surgery, the number of cases have increased dramatically since the pandemic began last year. Is it because patients can hide their recovery behind a mask? Is it because there are no social events, and they have time to devote to recovery? Or is it because government stimulus money can help towards the costs of aesthetic surgery? All of the above.

Rhinoplasty is surgery to change the outside of your nose. As your nose is made of cartilage and bone, the surgery can impact not just the external appearance but improve the airway as well. Dr. Diana Ponsky, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon specializing in rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty, explains, “You want a surgeon who has expertise in both form and function. You want your nose to be able to breathe, as well as to look as beautiful and balanced as it can!”

George, a patient of Dr. Ponsky, agrees. George always had trouble breathing through his nose, and found it much harder to breathe with his mask on. “I have always been a mouth breather as long as I have been aware,” he says. But with the circumstances of the pandemic, he found an opportunity to correct a long-standing problem. “I decided I have the time I need to recover now.” In correcting his airflow with a rhinoplasty, he also sought cosmetic changes to his nasal bridge.

Martha, another rhinoplasty patient, agrees. Having always wanted more definition in her “poorly defined” nasal tip, she thought, “Why not now? No one will see me while I recover…and I can hide behind the mask.” 

George considered that a benefit as well. “I was afraid to go through the surgery before because I didn’t want people to ask questions,” he says. “Then the pandemic happened, and it changed everything.” After deciding to go through it, he couldn’t be happier with the results. “I only had to take 3 days off of work after the surgery, and I could continue to work from home…without having to see anybody.”

Click here to view more before and after photos of Dr. Ponsky’s rhinoplasty patients

Some fun facts about rhinoplasty:

• Rhinoplasty was first performed over 2000 years ago
• It is the most common surgery among men, and the 3rd most common among women
• 85% of people who underwent the surgery feel it was worth it.
• 1/3rd of surgical rhinoplasty patients are over the age of 40
• Bruising lasts usually 7-10 days
• 95% of all swelling goes away after 6 months
• It takes most facial plastic surgeons 7 years of operating experience to “master” the art of the Rhinoplasty

Dr. Ponsky performs roughly 100 rhinoplasties a year, or nearly 1500 surgeries in total. Most plastic surgeons average about 20 a year. Having trained in both facial plastic surgery as well as in otolaryngology, Dr. Ponsky brings both artistry and technical precision to the experience. There’s never been a better time to get a rhinoplasty than during this pandemic.

For more on rhinoplasties and Dr. Ponsky’s work in general, be sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook!