A nose has to do two jobs. It has to fit the face, and it has to let you breathe. Surgeons trained only in appearance often solve the first and quietly compromise the second. Dr. Swenson is board-certified in Otolaryngology — the airway is his other specialty — and has focused on nasal correction for more than thirty years.
These figures are typical ranges, not a promise. Anesthesia, operating time, recovery and how results settle vary with your anatomy, your health history and the plan you and Dr. Swenson agree on. Your individual details are confirmed at consultation.
A dorsal hump, a tip that projects too far or too little, width, asymmetry, or a nose that simply doesn't balance the chin and brow. Small changes here are disproportionately visible — which is why restraint matters more in rhinoplasty than almost anywhere else on the face.
A deviated septum, collapsing nasal valves, chronic obstruction. If you've spent years mouth-breathing at night, sleeping badly, or finding that nasal sprays stopped working, that's a structural problem, not an allergy problem. Most cosmetic rhinoplasty surgeons are not also airway surgeons. Dr. Swenson's ENT certification is exactly this — and it's why cosmetic and functional work can be planned together rather than traded off.
Dr. Swenson takes revision cases. If you've had rhinoplasty elsewhere and didn't get the result you were promised — or got a result that looks acceptable but breathes worse than before — you are not stuck with it.
Revision is genuinely harder than primary surgery: scar tissue changes how tissue moves, the original anatomy has been altered, and cartilage may need to be rebuilt with grafts. It also demands the thing revision patients most need and least often get — someone who will tell them honestly what can and cannot be improved. If he doesn't think he can make it meaningfully better, he'll say so at the consultation.
The nose is the slowest procedure on this menu to finish. The splint comes off in a week and you'll look presentable in two — but the tip refines for months, and the final result can take a year. Patients who aren't told this get anxious at month three. Now you know.
Cosmetic concerns about shape, size, or balance · functional breathing obstruction · previous rhinoplasty that didn't deliver. Both cosmetic and functional goals can usually be addressed in one operation.
Can cosmetic and functional work be done at the same time?
Yes, and it's usually the sensible plan — one anesthetic, one recovery, and the structural work is designed around the appearance rather than fighting it.
Is a deviated septum repair covered by insurance?
No. Vue does not bill insurance — functional nasal surgery here is self-pay like everything else. If coverage is essential for you, say so before booking the consultation.
Do you fix another surgeon's rhinoplasty?
Yes. Revision is a significant part of the practice. Bring your operative report if you have one.
Will it look overdone?
The scooped, pinched look comes from removing too much. The goal is a nose people don't notice, on a face they do.
How long until it looks final?
Presentable in about two weeks; refined over six to twelve months. The tip is last.
What about "liquid rhinoplasty" with filler?
Filler can camouflage a small dorsal irregularity, but it adds volume — it can't make a nose smaller, and it does nothing for breathing. It suits a narrow set of cases and we'll tell you if you're one of them.
A surgical consultation with Dr. Swenson is $75. That's an hour of a surgeon's attention, not a sales appointment with a coordinator. To be straightforward with you: the fee does not apply toward the cost of a procedure. Some practices credit it — we don't, and we'd rather you know that now than find out at checkout. Vue does not bill insurance, so all procedures, including those done for functional reasons, are self-pay. You'll get an exact quote before you commit to anything.