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Can I Get a Natural Looking Nose by Just Shortening the Tip?

asked 2 years ago by cantstandmynose in NJ
Latest answer by William Portuese, MD
Question viewed 3,647 times
Tags: nose

I have a long and pointy nose. I feel like its a big beak that dominates my face. I really want to make my nose shorter but I imagine that my nostrils would need to be made smaller as well. To make my nose shorter but still look natural do I need a major nose surgery?

14 answers to Can I Get a Natural Looking Nose by Just Shortening the Tip?

Shortening the Nasal Tip

The nose is shortened by rotating the tip towards the forehead. I assume you do not want that to happen - it would be a mistake. Decreasing tip projection (the distance between the tip and the face) would be beneficial. This would necessitate changes in other nasal structures, but I cannot be more specific without other pictures and an examination.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

A Beautiful Nose Gets Out of the Way of the Other Facial Features

Hi Can't, The simple answer to your question is yes, to make your nose shorter but still look natural will require a major nose surgery. To deproject your nose and maintain a natural well balanced appearance will require advanced rhinoplasty techniques, not "minor", beginner, or rhinoplasty 101 nasal surgery. As a patient, you need not worry about the degree of difficulty, but do your best to choose your surgeon most carefully. The recovery from "major" vs... more

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Shortening nose tip should can look natural

Long pointed noses can be brought back closer to the face through a rhinoplasty procedure. This is not a minor procedure; it is a full rhinoplasty. Occasionally if the nose is brought back significantly there is alar flare, which is addressed through alarplasty Weir excisions. This will make the nose shorter and natural. Sometimes, multiple different tip techniques are performed to decrease the projection of the nose to allow better fit and balance with the rest of the nose. It is... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Natural-looking nose job - deprojecting the nasal tip

Specific advice regarding your nose would require a personal examination, from all angles, including intranasally. Having said that, deprojecting the nasal tip may seem simple enough. However, for each alteration made to the nose, there are compensatory changes that often had to be made as well. For example, if we drop the nasal tip, its relation to the dorsum changes, and thus this must be addressed. As you mention, the nostil shape may change, often becoming more round (versus oval). In... more

Sam Most, MD
Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drmost.com

Natural look from tip shortening Rhinoplasty

Hello, It is not always necessary to make the nostrils smaller when decreasing the projection of your nose. It is difficult to determine exactly what your needs are without seeing additional photos and/or performing an examination. Thank you and best of luck. Dr. Nassif

Paul S. Nassif, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Making a nose smaller.

To some degree, making your nose smaller involves making ALL components (nasal bones, ULC, LLC, septum, ala, etc) smaller, and to this extent, it does involve major nose surgery. There is simply no easy way to shrink your nose.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Projecting nose reduction

Your concern over your projecting nose is certainly realistic. Reducing the over projection can be performed but is like taking the supports down on a tent. While lowering the height, it may lead to some more tip fullness from the soft tissue envelope, and yes you may need a nostril reduction as well. Other views and of course an in-person exam are important.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Tip can be absolutely deprojected

Hi Cantstandmynose, Let's see what we can do to change your name. From this view, it looks as though your nose is fairly overprojected. A small amount of deprojection can be accomplished in one of many ways, but more significant deprojection usually takes some specialized maneuvers. So make sure you consult with a rhinoplasty specialist as it is important to deproject your tip in a way that maintains its stability and won't cause your tip to drop or retract with time. As far as nostril... more

Jason Litner, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Correcting the Long, Pointy (over-projecting) Nose

Yes you can. Your nose has an over-projecting nose. Reducing the height of the tip = the projection requires division of the attachment of the tip (the two lower lateral cartilages) to the forward edge of the septum. As the tip is lowered to its desired position, there will be flaring / rounding of the side walls of the nostrils and the back / hump / dorsum of the nose may appear more prominent. Excessive roundness of the nostrils (as is seen in African or Mexican noses) may require a small... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Consult a rhinoplasty surgeon for natural look

You need the help of a rhinoplastic surgeon to discuss what you don't want and evaluate what can be done for you. Don't worry about major or minor surgery, agree on what you need done to get to the result you want.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Overprojected nose tip

Hi Cantstandmynose, As mentioned already, you have an overprojected tip which in lay terms means " a long nose". This can be corrected with a typical rhinoplasty procedure. The tip can be brought back but you may also need an adjustment to your bridge. Computer imaging is best way to see what results can be achieved with a rhinoplasty. Best, Dr.S.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Rhinoplasty Surgery may deproject your "pointy" tip.

Your nose is not too long. Your nasal tip is a bit over-projected (it sticks out too far). Deprojection of your tip can be achieved by well-done Rhinoplasty Surgery. You should consult several board-certified Rhinoplasty specialists with many favorable photos before you proceed. Tip work is delicate and unforgiving, so the experience of your surgeon is critical. I hope you find this helpful.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.ericmjoseph.com

All nasal surgery should be considered major surgery

Whenever anyone has surgery it should be considered "major." Sometimes only minor changes are necessary. However, often changing one dimension of the nose alters the rest. You submitted a photograph of your face. It is difficult to give a definitive answer based on a single photo. We typically take photos from 10 to 12 different angles of the face to determine what is best, plus nothing beats a personal exam where the surgeon can touch your nose to determine the strength of the... more

Steven J. Pearlman, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty for tip

Your tip is over-projecting, that is, on the side view, it comes out a bit too far. I would recommend a rhinoplasty to set the tip back, which can be very effective at producing a natural nose which "fits" better with your face. Your nostrils will not be significantly affected by this. Without seeing your from the front, I can't tell if you would need anything else, but this would in general be a full nasal procedure. Best wishes.