Making Breathing Easier with Dr. Andris Golde
Dr. Golde is the founder and president of Advanced Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Associates.
With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Andris Golde, founder and president of Advanced Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Associates, has helped tens of thousands of people from all walks of life to breathe easier. As the Chief of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery for all five hospitals in the Northside Hospital system, he specializes in advanced functional nasal operations, rhinoplasty, and endoscopic sinus surgeries.
Well-known for his dedicated manner and patient education, Dr. Golde also serves as a clinical assistant professor in the Augusta University/University of Georgia Partnership. He has won numerous awards since 2007 for clinical excellence in otolaryngology from multiple patient and peer-review organizations, including Patient’s Choice Award, America’s Top Physician, Best Doctors in America, and Castle Connolly Top Doctor.
Born and raised in Canada, Dr. Golde received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal in 1988 and trained in general surgery at UCLA, followed by specialty training in otolaryngology head and neck surgery at the University of Toronto. He felt fortunate to have been trained by some of the foremost experts in his field, mastering advanced, state-of-the-art open rhinoplasty techniques and dedicating his research to improving nasal function.
Dr. Golde said, “Most of my practice is focused on nasal breathing issues. Anyone who struggles to breathe through their nose, either in their sleep or during exercise, has a reduced quality of life. My job is to figure out whether these patients have a problem with the anatomy in their nose or with nasal congestion caused by things like allergies or nasal polyps. A patient should ideally not undergo cosmetic changes to their nose and end up breathing worse. The optimal goal is to have a nose both look and function better.”
He added, “It is critical to properly evaluate all these variables with things like nasal endoscopy, CT imaging and allergy testing to determine how to best treat the problem. I always start with medical therapy first to see if that helps. If that is not adequate, then we approach surgery as the next option. What needs to be done surgically is age-dependent to a degree. I typically do not recommend cosmetic rhinoplasty under the age of 18 years as our faces have not yet finished growing prior to that time.”
An important part of his process is to teach every patient who consults him for nasal surgery how form follows function. He explained, “This architectural principle states that the optimal appearance of a person’s nose is determined by their ability to breathe well through it. It is critical to optimize the breathing of the nose first with any operation. Once that has been accomplished, cosmetic changes that patients desire can be appropriately carried out. Many people have undergone cosmetic rhinoplasty only to find that breathing through their nose is not any better or is even worse than before they had surgery. A large part of my practice involves revising the noses of patients who have undergone prior nasal surgery where the functional or cosmetic outcomes were suboptimal.”
Dr. Golde adds, “My goal for all rhinoplasty results is to provide a completely natural appearance to a person’s nose with excellent breathing at the same time. Modern-day nasal surgery has evolved in many ways in the last 10 to 20 years. In the past, people were miserable after any type of nasal surgery with stents and packing as well as looking black and blue and swollen. Today, when my patients wake up in the recovery room they are breathing comfortably through their nose, there is no packing involved, and their recovery is much more comfortable and rapid than before. Patients should ask surgeons about their techniques and outcomes and receive clear explanations about what to expect with any operation.”
Dr. Golde’s work is immensely gratifying because he looks to improve the quality of people’s lives. He commented, “I always try to do my job with empathy and put myself in my patient’s shoes. I go out of my way to educate patients that cosmetic surgery does not automatically mean they will breathe better. My decades of experience have taught me that cosmetic changes to the nose must always be done with the intent of maintaining optimal breathing at the same time as achieving a completely natural appearance. Nasal surgery done properly plays such an important role as it can significantly improve someone’s breathing and make them look better and feel more confident about themselves.”
For more information, please visit https://advancedentpc.com.