Is Rhinoplasty For Me?

Rhinoplasty can improve the appearance and the function of the nose.  Below you will find common nasal features that patients often wonder if rhinoplasty can correct.

Bulbous Nose

One of the most common reasons that patients choose to undergo nose job surgery is to correct a broad or bulbous tip. This is accomplished by your rhinoplasty surgeon trimming and reshaping the cartilages that provide the tip with its shape. Complex tip reshaping may require an open rhinoplasty whereas minimal bulbousness can sometimes be corrected via a closed rhinoplasty.

Asymmetric Tip

A nose with an asymmetric tip can be corrected. The tip cartilages are repositioned into proper alignment to give the nose a more uniform appearance.

Upturned Nose

An upturned nose can be corrected by tilting the tip downward. Rotating an upturned nose downward can decrease the amount that the nostrils show. Additionally, downward rotation of the tip has the effect of making the nose appear longer and is an effective way of lengthening a short nose.

Droopy Nose

A nose that has a droopy tip can be resupported during rhinoplasty to tilt the nose upward. This has the effect of shortening the nose.

High Bridge

A hump on the nasal profile is termed a dorsal hump. For patients with a hump or high nasal bridge, the bridge line can be altered to give a dramatic improvement in the profile. To accomplish this, your rhinoplasty surgeon will file the excess bone and trim the excess cartilage to give the bridge a smooth contour. This also has can make the bridge be in better proportion with the tip.

Low Bridge

A nose with a bridge (dorsum) that is too low will can make the tip look over-projected. When the middle portion of the dorsum is collasped, it is called a "saddle-nose" deformity, which can make the nose look more scooped out or accentuate the appearance of a boney hump. The bridge can be built-up, or augmented, to create a pleasing profile.  

Crooked Nose

Although some patients are born with a nose that is not straight, a crooked nose most frequently results from trauma to the nose, such as a nasal fracture (broken nose). Rhinoplasty is an effective means of making the nose straight. This may involve your surgeon surgically breaking the nasal bones (called osteotomies) and repositioning them in a symmetric orientation.

Narrow Nose

Sometimes, the nose can look overly narrow on the frontal view. This can be because the nasal bones are too narrow or because the middle-vault is too narrow. Rhinoplasty surgeons can widen the nose to give it more balance.

Wide Nose

A nose may appear wide across the bridge and/or the tip. This can give the nose a flat appearance. A wide nose can be narrowed to give the bridge a more uniform appearance. In some cases, building up the bridge can create the illusion of narrowness.

Wide / Flaring Nostrils

A wide nostril base can be narrowed to decrease the amount of nostril flaring or to narrow a wide nose. This is accomplished by making an incision in the crease where the nose meets the cheek. A wedge shape piece of nostril rim skin is removed. The resulting scar is well-hidden in the new crease between the nostril and the cheek.  

Nostril Collapse

Nostril collapse can cause symptoms of nasal obstruction. This is frequently seen in patients with a broad or bulbous shaped tip or in patients who have had prior rhinoplasty. Nostril collapse can be corrected by supporting the nostril rims and nostril walls with cartilage grafts. This usually requires an open rhinoplasty.

Deviated Septum

The plate of cartilage and bone that separates on side of the nose from the other is termed the nasal septum. When the septum is crooked, it is referred to as a deviated septum. Internally, a deviated septum can cause nasal obstruction. Externally, a deviated septum can cause the lower two-thirds of the nose look crooked. Often it is possible to correct a deviated septum without changing the shape of the nose by your surgeon performing a septoplasty. For severe septal deviation, the nose must be reconstructed using open rhinoplasty techniques. When performed for functional reasons, this type of nasal surgery is called a septorhinoplasty.