Simulation (morphing) in Rhinoplasty – What to Expect

Before you order a meal in a restaurant, the waiter may give you a description of a particular dish you are considering.

His description of the meal is not the meal itself, and you shouldn’t expect to eat the description.

The purpose of the description is to afford you an opportunity to give yourself an experience of what the meal could be like prior to placing your order.

In similar fashion, during your consultation for a rhinoplasty procedure, your surgeon may opt to use simulation (also called morphing) so you can have an experience of what a possible result will be like.

And like the description of the meal, the simulation is not the result and you shouldn’t expect your result to exactly match the simulation.

The simulation, like the waiter’s description, is designed to give you an opportunity to have an experience prior to moving forward and committing to your surgery.

If the surgeon you are meeting with uses simulation during your consultation, here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Performing a Rhinoplasty on a patient’s face is much more challenging and complex than using a software program to create a simulation on computer.  So, it isn’t wise to base your choice of surgeon on the simulation revealed during a consultation. It is far more important that you feel comfortable with your surgeon and with his ability to communicate with you effectively.
• A great way to discern the results you are likely to receive from your Rhinoplasty procedure is to examine before and after pictures from patients who have similar noses.
• Don’t spend too much time focusing on the simulation.
• The purpose of a simulation is not to promise or guarantee a result.
• It is a way of giving something visual for the prospective client “to wrap their head around.”
• Front view imaging is typically not accurate with two-dimensional software.
• A final note: Some, but not all, surgeons will give the simulation images that are done during the consultation to their client.  It is a personal preference chosen by the surgeon on a case by case basis; so one should never simply expect these images to be given after the consultation is over.