Just what is possible with a rhinoplasty?

I talk to a LOT of people about their noses. Many want to breathe better. Some have old injuries that they want fixed. Many want their noses to simply look better. My goal with every nasal surgery is to give you a nose that works well and fits your features. A nose that looks good on someone who is six feet tall and has large features would look silly on someone who is five foot two inches with petite features, and vice versa.

Some patients request that I use special software to morph their features to show them what would be possible with their nose. I don’t morph pictures because I feel that it can lead to unrealistic expectations. Sometimes your nasal tissues just can’t be moved or otherwise altered to achieve a particular effect without destabilizing the entire structure. I feel it’s much more useful to show pictures of other noses and what we’ve been able to achieve. Today I’d like to review with you just what is possible with rhinoplasty surgery!

Crooked noses can be made straighter! How? Most of the time you just straighten a deviated septum and then move the nasal bones to where you want them to be. What is a deviated septum? Check out this post from the archives! Sometimes we use cartilage from the septum to straighten the nose, but not in this case.

If a nose is short, we can lengthen it to bring it into better balance with your other facial features. This patient was actually having breathing trouble but noticed that if she moved her nostrils out, she could breathe! We took a piece of cartilage from her septum and used it to bring out her nasal tip. By adding nasal tip projection, she could breathe better and her overall facial profile improved.

If you have a large bump on your nose (the technical term is a ‘dorsal hump’) it can be removed! Small humps can be removed using incisions inside the nose. Larger humps like this one require an incision across the base of your nose to create better access. Cartilage grafts from the septum are needed to prevent collapse and nasal obstruction in the case of large hump removal.

If you have a droopy nasal tip, it can be elevated! There are many ways to do this, but the simplest is to excise a small amount of cartilage from the structures that make up your nasal tip.

Broad, boxy nasal tips can be narrowed! The simplest way of doing this is to use sutures to shape the cartilages of your nasal tip. Sometimes we use cartilage grafts or excision techniques to refine a nasal tip.

These are just a few examples of the changes that are possible with rhinoplasty surgery. Of course, most noses need more than one or two things to make them look good and function well, so I will frequently combine techniques based on your nose’s particular needs. Rhinoplasty is not a one-size-fits-all procedure, so every patient receives highly specialize and individualized care. Regardless of the techniques used, I always strive to leave you a nose that works well and fits your facial features.