DR. SPENCER COCHRAN: Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure that involves reshaping the nose. It could be performed as a cosmetic procedure to improve the appearance or a medically necessary procedure to improve the breathing. Sometimes a combination of both is required. Primary rhinoplasty refers to first time nasal surgery, whether it be for cosmetic or functional reasons. This is accomplished by removing excess bone and cartilage from beneath the skin. After the newly shaped framework is completed the skin is re-draped to give the nose its new appearance. Sometimes the changes are dramatic or subtle, depending on the patients’ needs.
DR. SPENCER COCHRAN: Candidates for rhinoplasty are patients who have an obvious deformity of their nose which detracts from their physical appearance. Equally important is also patient’s expectations in terms of what surgery can and cannot accomplish to improve that. When patients come to our office for consultation we carefully assess each patient to make sure that they’re emotionally and physically prepared to undergo this surgical procedure.
DR. SPENCER COCHRAN: One of the outstanding things about the Gunter Center is the tremendous staff that we have. Each of our staff members are true professionals who give the utmost care and respect for each of our patients. Patients, when they come to the Gunter Center, can expect to be treated professionally, courteously, and also with the highest degree of confidentiality.
DR. JACK P. GUNTER: We do all of our cases at the Texas Institute for Surgery Specialty Hospital. This is on the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas Campus and it’s a new facility that has all the up-to-date equipment and a hospital that we really enjoy doing our surgery at. I think you will enjoy it too because all the patients that go there have very good comments about it. We have nine operating rooms and we have nine overnight stay rooms there, if the patients need to stay or if they want to stay. And there is a doctor there that stays in the hospital 24-hours a day and is on call if any of the patients there need to be seen.
FEMALE VOICE: Our practice is conveniently located several miles north of downtown Dallas in the heart of the Dallas, Forth Worth Metroplex. For patients coming in from out of town, we are a short 20-minute drive from Dallas Left Field Airport and 40 minutes from DFW International Airport. There are several nearby hotels where our out of town patients can stay during their visit to Dallas. If you are traveling to our practice for your nasal surgery and would like further information or assistance in planning your trip, please contact our office, our friendly staff will be happy to help you.
They will not cover any portion performed to improve the cosmetic appearance of your nose. The Gunter Center for Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery does not contract with any insurance plans. However, if it is determined that you have a functional problem, we will contact your insurance company in attempt to obtain approval of coverage. You must have out of network benefits in order to be reimbursed for the surgeon’s fees and anesthesia.
For our cosmetic rhinoplasty patients we offer several patient options. The Gunter Center for Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery accepts cash, direct wires, verified checks, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. We also offer financing plans through Care Credit. If you have any questions about this service, please contact our office or visit their website, carecaredit.com.
DR. SPENCER COCHRAN: Rhinoplasty consultations in our practice take approximately one hour. The consultations begin with the patients undergoing photographs. The patients will then meet with the doctors and then we’ll sit down together and analyze those photographs. The photographs allow us also to develop a surgical plan and to define the goals and propose changes to surgery.
After meeting with the doctors then the patients will meet with the nurses and the nurses will review postoperative instructions and walk them through each stage of the recovery process. The patients will then meet with a patient coordinator who will talk with the patients about scheduling and the cost of surgery.
DR. JACK P. GUNTER: Many of our patients come from outside the Dallas, Fort Worth area and to better serve these patients we developed an internet consultation. What the patient has to do is to fill out a medical history and say what they think is wrong with their nose and if they have any breathing problems and get six standardized photographs and send these in by email. And from this we can pretty well tell whether a patient is going to be a good candidate or not.
And if we think the patient is a good candidate, what we do is to send the patient back an email telling the candidate the goal for the surgeries and giving them the approximate cost of the surgery and the anesthesia and the hospital. If the patient wants to proceed they must make a trip to Dallas for a personal consultation so that we can make certain that our diagnosis is correct. If the patient is not a good candidate, well then we write them back and tell them that and it saves them a trip to Dallas. If you’re interested in an internet consultation you can look up the Internet Consultation page on our website and see what we’re talking about.
FEMALE VOICE: Dr. Spencer Cochran is a highly respected rhinoplasty surgeon who was hand selected by Dr. Gunter for his knowledge and skill in all aspects of nasal surgery. Like Dr. Gunter, rhinoplasty is his passion and area of expertise. Board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Cochran embraces the most innovative, cutting edge techniques available in primary and secondary rhinoplasty. His focused background and surgical experience have allowed him to become a highly skilled rhinoplasty specialist.
DR. SPENCER COCHRAN: Ever since the beginning of my medical training I knew that I wanted to be a rhinoplasty surgeon. Rhinoplasty is one of the most difficult procedures in plastic surgery and in order to get consistent results you really have to dedicate yourself to that alone, and that’s what I’ve decided to do. But it, more than that it’s also the sense of satisfaction that I get from helping patients, being able to improve their breathing at the same time improving the appearance is very important. The two really go hand in hand, a nose that functions well should also look good and vice versa, and being able to correct those things together is very important.
FEMALE VOICE: Dr. Gunter is widely regarded as a leader in the field of rhinoplasty surgery. Since starting his cosmetic surgery practice in 1980, Dr. Gunter has gained an international reputation as an expert in rhinoplasty. The rhinoplasty techniques over the years have allowed him to become one of the foremost experts in primary and secondary rhinoplasty in the world.
DR. JACK P. GUNTER: Well after I finished medical school at the University of Oklahoma I did an Otolaryngology Residency. Otolaryngology is a big word for Ear, Nose, and Throat Residency at Tulane University. And at Tulane University I met Dr. Jack Anderson, who has had a big influence on my career. Dr. Anderson, at that time, was one of the premier rhinoplasty surgeons in the nation, and he was by far the premier teacher of rhinoplasty surgery. So I followed him around all I could to, and watch him operate, and assist him, and I became very interested in rhinoplasty there.
After I finished my Otolaryngology Residency I joined the staff at the University of Texas Medical School in Dallas and I became Chairman of the Division four years later. However, my heart was still in plastic surgery and rhinoplasty were the things that I really wanted to do. So I went back to the University of Michigan to do a Plastic Surgery Residency, and when I finished my Plastic Surgery Residency there I came back to Dallas and went into private practice.
I was board certified in both otolaryngology and plastic surgery. I started being asked to give talks at the medical school about rhinoplasty and because I had a, so-called, special expertise in that. And then I began being invited to major medical meetings and writing, I started writing articles. And that’s the way that, one of the things that helped me develop my reputation. Of course, treating patients is the main way that your reputation is established.
FEMALE VOICE: Choosing the right surgeon is the most important decision you can make when considering rhinoplasty. Dr. Gunter and Dr. Cochran are recognized as leaders in the field of rhinoplasty surgery. Since starting his cosmetic surgery practice in 1980, Dr. Gunter has gained an international reputation as an expert in rhinoplasty. The rhinoplasty techniques he has pioneered over the years have allowed him to become one of the foremost experts in the world in primary and secondary rhinoplasty.
Dr. Gunter is pleased to have chosen Dr. Cochran to join his practice. Dr. Gunter and Dr. Cochran’s surgical goal is to produce a nose that looks natural, functions properly, and is in balance and harmony with the patients other facial features.
DR. JACK P. GUNTER: Most plastic surgeons agree that rhinoplasty is the most difficult operation in cosmetic surgery. To be extraordinary in this operation we feel that the surgeon must be committed to rhinoplasty as at least a subspecialty. In our clinic we view it as our only specialty. That’s all we do. Our dedication and commitment to obtain the best results possible brings us patients from all over the world. We are certainly dedicated to teaching and sharing our experience with other surgeons.
Our operating room has always been open to visiting surgeons who wanted to observe our techniques. Over the past 15 years we’ve had surgeons visit us from 19 countries and 5 continents. For instance, we’ve had surgeons from Russia, China, South Korea, Israel, Pakistan, Switzerland, Australia, and most of the European Countries.
