Rhinoplasty / Nose Reshaping

What is Rhinoplasty? Rhinoplasty is the medical term for nose reshaping, often referred to as a "nose job". Surgery to reshape the nose is a very common plastic surgery procedure and it can both increase or decrease the size of nose. The shape of the tip, the bridge and also the nostrils can be changed as can the angle between the nose and the upper lip. Sometimes breathing difficulties can be corrected at the same time. 

Rhinoplasty can be done using either open or closed techniques:

• In closed techniques, there are no scars on the outside
• In open techniques there is a small step-shaped incision on the columella, which is the central strut of the nose as you look from underneath. 

Not only can noses  be made smaller or larger but they can also be re-shaped to take the bump off the top, re-define the tip, alter the angle between lip and nose or change the shape of the nostrils.  Altering the shape or size of the nose can have a dramatic effect on the way somebody looks, since it is central to the face it’s proportions in relation to the mid-face, eyes and mouth are key to the aesthetics of a face. 

Who would be suitable for rhinoplasty? Many people are selfconscious about their nose. It is the central feature of the face and unfortunately is often the subject of old school or family taunts. Even without this a lot of people simply just do not like their own nose. Common and appropriate reasons for considering a rhinoplasty include:

• A nose that is either too long or too short
• A nose that is too wide
• A nose with a dorsal bump (hump)
• A nose that is crooked or flat
• A nose with a blobby or boxy tip
• Notrils that are too big or too visible from the front
• A nose with a hooked tip 

The nose does not stop growing until the age of 16, so surgery before this age is unwise. A cosmetic rhinoplasty is a real art and anything more than just removing the hump requires a high level of skill from your Plastic Surgeon. Even simple hump reduction will significantly change the proportions of the mid face but also of the whole nose, including the tip and the nostrils. Any rhinoplasty should be carefully planned and reassessed during surgery as if doing a sculpture.  

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