How is rhinoplasty in Hispanic patients different than in other patients?

In general, my Hispanic patients tend to have thicker, oilier skin. Also, their noses tend to be flatter and broader.

If the bridge of the nose needs building up, then grafting material (cartilage, bone, silicone, medpore) is used. Tip grafts are usually necessary to provide tip definition. Finally, the base of the nostrils is often narrowed to balance off the other features of the nose.

With all this said, it is important to refine the nose without losing one's ethnicity.

Rhinoplasty is different for every individual I treat. In general, My hispanic patients tend to have thicker tissues, and sometimes flatter and wider noses than some of my caucasian patients. Sometimes I have to add a graft onto the bridge of their nose to give them a better projection of the dorsum or profile.  Work on the tip itself can be difficult to appreciate if the tissues are thick.  They may prevent the fine detail of work that is done on the tip that would be more evident in a thinner skinned person. 

Individuals of Hispanic background exhibit skin that is oily, thick, and olive in color.  These traits slow the healing process when compared to non-Hispanic patients. As a result, it takes longer for the final results of the surgery to emerge.  Hispanic Rhinoplasty sometimes requires structural cartilage grafting, which prolongs swelling in the area above the tip of the nose.  These patients require sometimes require cortisone shots in the tip of the nose during the post-operative healing phase to bring down the swelling.

Rhinoplasty is an operation that seeks to refine and improve upon the balance between a patient's nose and face. Certain aspects of the operation can be individualized based upon a patient's desires and what would look best on the person. Hispanic Rhinoplasty is no exception.

Rhinoplasty in Hispanic patients is as diverse as it is in the rest of the world's populations. A significant reason for this is that most Latin populations are very multicultural. Historically, many different groups have become integrated into Hispanic populations. Consequently, a typical Latin nose from Central America is not likely to be typical in South America, Europe, or the Carribean islands. A nose typical for a specific geographic region can also be difficult to define.

However, most Hispanic patients seeking Rhinoplasty are looking for the same things that non-Hispanic patients want:

• Narrower nose
• Straighter profile
• Narrower nostrils

While achieving these outcomes may require more steps than the typical non-Hispanic Rhinoplasty patient, the techniques used are ones that are commonly needed in other ethnicities.

Many Hispanic patients will require nasal tip narrowing and limited grafting to provide more strength to a droopy tip. A more refined tip can be achieved using additional tip grafts, which are especially important in women with thicker skin types and thin, long faces. This graft is typically not used in men, patients with thin skin, or those with rounder faces.

Nostril narrowing can be achieved with different techniques, depending on how much narrowing is appropriate for a given patient.

Some patients with flatter noses will benefit from a small graft to add height to the bridge of the nose. This helps to create the appearance of narrowing in patients with shallow nasal bones. These grafts can be taken from the nasal septum, especially if nasal obstruction is being corrected.

Turbinate surgery is often also required if comprehensive airway correction is needed.