Considering cosmetic nasal surgery? Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery offers tips on making sure you get the best results possible with your rhinoplasty procedure.

Cosmetic nasal surgery, also known as rhinoplasty, is intended to correct aesthetic issues of the nose that make patients feel self-conscious. Among the most common issues that Jacksonville plastic surgery specialist see in patients are:

•    A nose that appears too large for the face;
•    A bump on the nasal bridge when viewed in profile;
•    A nose that seems too wide when viewed from the front;
•    A nasal tip that droops or plunges;
•    A thickened or enlarged tip;
•    Excessively flared nostrils;
•    An off-center or crooked nose;
•    An asymmetrical shape of the nose caused by a previous injury.

Cosmetic nasal surgery isn't like choosing a new nose from a catalog. Many factors are at play, so having realistic expectations is critical.

In 2009, the fourth most frequently performed plastic surgery procedure was cosmetic nasal surgery. Jacksonville’s Drs. Philip Garcia and Roberto Garcia specialize in reconstructive and cosmetic nasal surgery. Their most important piece of advice to patients is to clearly and fully communicate with your Jacksonville plastic surgeon and to have reasonable expectations.

It has been said that the best candidates for cosmetic nasal surgery – or any cosmetic surgery – are those who want to improve, not perfect the way they look. The nose is the face’s most prominent feature and many factors affect what a surgeon is and is not able to accomplish. Patients often mistakenly believe that the process is like choosing a new nose from a catalog. Surgeons today use advanced digital imaging and morphing software to help communicate ideas and expectations prior to a patient undergoing a nose surgery procedure. However, understand that each procedure is as unique as each patient.

To assure great results with your cosmetic nasal surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute asks that you be extremely clear as to what you would like to change about your nose and why. The decision to undergo any plastic surgery procedure should be yours alone, so be sure that you are not being influenced by your family, friends or media-fed perceptions. Even the most extensive cosmetic nasal surgery won’t make you look like that movie star on the magazine covers. It will make you look like you – only better. And that’s a beautiful thing!

To plan your cosmetic nasal surgery, contact Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery at (904) 247-8522.

More than 17 million cosmetic procedures were performed nationwide throughout 2009, according to a new survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. Jacksonville Baby Boomers likely won’t be surprised by these results. The survey shows that the Boomer generation represents a large percentage of cosmetic procedure patients. In fact, among the client base of AACS members, the average age of facelift patients is 54.1 years. The average age for blepharoplasty is 52.3 years. And the average age of patients opting for Botox is 46.6.

Baby Boomers account for a growing percentage of cosmetic procedures performed in Jacksonville and nationwide.

A few highlights of the survey:

• Facelifts by AACS members rose 44% from 2008 to 2009, totaling 34,455 last year compared to 20,478 in 2008;
• Blepharoplasty procedures jumped 42 percent to 60,507 from 42,602;
• Rhinoplasty surgeries went up 74% to 21,730 from 12,460
• Invasive procedures showing the largest gain in the past five years are Blepharoplasty, abdomonoplasty and rhinoplasty;
• Less invasive procedures with the biggest 5-year gain are laser resurfacing, chemical peels and fillers.

The study is the first of its kind performed by the AACS and involves polling of AACS members plus randomly chosen physicians nationwide. The total number of procedures performed by AACS members has increased by eight percent since 2008.

When it comes to cosmetic procedures, Jacksonville follows the same trend that physicians and surgeons are seeing across the United States – a boom in Baby Boomer clientele. Many patients of the Garcia Institute are in their 50s and 60s and not quite ready to concede their looks. Today’s mature population is healthier, more active and more consumer savvy than any previous generation. They also are more informed about medical, plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. Jacksonville’s Boomer population is one that knows what it wants and is comfortable asking for it.

“The Baby Boomers are getting older but they still feel young and they want to look that way too,” said AACS President Mark Berman, MD. “With anti-aging procedures, people tend to feel much better about themselves afterward.”

Cosmetic procedures in Jacksonville and beyond are expected to grow as America’s economy recovers.

“The cosmetic surgery industry continues to grow at a rate many people never thought it
would reach,” Berman said. “With the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, I don’t think we’ve come close to hitting the ceiling yet. That 17 million is only going to expand.

If you’re a Baby Boomer who wants to look as great as you feel, contact the Garcia Institute at  (904) 247-8522 today.

Whether insurance will cover your plastic surgery in Jacksonville depends chiefly on the type of plastic surgery you choose. The primary consideration is whether your will undergo a cosmetic plastic surgery or a reconstructive plastic surgery. Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute defines the two using the same definitions adopted by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. We define cosmetic plastic surgery as a surgery “performed to reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve the patient’s appearance and self-esteem;” and reconstructive plastic surgery as one “performed on abnormal structures of the body, caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease.” Reconstructive plastic surgery primarily is performed to restore or improve facial functions such as the ability to smile, open and close your eyes or speak clearly, but may also be done to restore or approximate a patient’s normal appearance. Read more »

Perhaps among the most nerve wracking cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery options is nose surgery. Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery Institute offers nose surgery (informally called nose jobs) by highly skilled and board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Phillip Garcia, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Dr. Roberto Eloy Garcia, M.D. Each trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the world renowned McCullough Institute for Appearance and Health in Alabama, and Dr. Roberto Garcia completed a fellowship that included heavily specialized reconstructive surgery of the nose.

The nose is among the features that lend the most character to our faces, and it’s the one that causes the most angst for patients unhappy with theirs. A nose that’s too big, too wide or crooked either naturally for resulting from an accident (or a brawl – we don’t judge) can be a source of self consciousness or even downright embarrassment. When you need nose surgery, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute can help.

Nasal surgery is performed for two reasons: to restore or improve the function of the nose, and to improve its aesthetic form. Functional reconstructive nose surgery primarily addresses cases of a deviated septum. The nose septum, made up of cartilage and bone, divides the nose into two halves. A deviation (either natural or as a result of nose trauma) obstructs airflow and can cause a cadre of symptoms including headaches, snoring, daytime sleepiness and sinusitis. Another common problem is enlarged turbinates, tiny structures within the nose that help warm incoming air and prepare the body for allergens such as pollen. When turbinates enlarge, they can obstruct airflow and cause symptoms similar to those of a deviated septum. Performed in our state-of-the-art surgical center near Jacksonville, functional nose surgery involves straightening the nose septum or reducing the size of turbinates.

On the other hand, cosmetic nose surgery – also called “rhinoplasty” or simply, a “nose job” – focuses on the nose’s aesthetic form. Drs. Garcia aim to improve the nose’s size and special balance with the rest face, so that the focal point of a patient’s face moves from the nose to the eyes. Cosmetic nose surgery primarily involves sculpting or adding cartilage to the nose’s tip or bridge to give the nose a better shape or make it less prominent.

Cosmetic nose surgery in Jacksonville typically is performed under twilight anesthesia, making it less risky than undergoing general anesthesia, which can be dangerous and leave you groggy for days. Patients have neither discomfort during the procedure or any recollection of the procedure afterward. And we use absorbable sutures that require no removal. Splints and tapes are removed seven days after nose surgery, though patients typically are able to breathe through their noses again within three days, and we’ll follow your progress for one year, performing any needed revisions.

If you have trouble breathing through your nose, or if you simply are unhappy with its shape or size, contact the Garcia Institute via our online email form or at or 800-803-0082 or 904-247-8522 to speak with a Jacksonville nose surgery specialist today.