is it possible/realistic to make a long and narrow nose shorter without making it wider with a rhinoplasty?

Question

I like how narrow my nose is, but I hate how long it is and how far it protrudes. I know that rhinoplasty surgery mostly realigns the nose rather than making it smaller, so it seems that if you're making the nose shorter and less protruding, it would have to become wider. But I've seen many pictures in plastic surgeon's rhinoplasty galleries of narrow noses that seem smaller but still just as narrow afterwards. so I was wondering how realistic it would be to expect similar results? Thank you.

Grigoriy Mashkevich, MD · Answer

The short answer to your questions is yes, but it would be most helpful if your nose could be examined in person. As mentioned in the other posts, numerous nuances require consideration in rhinoplasty and it is possible that in your particular case slight widening would be advisable / required to maintain a long-term patent airway. Grigoriy Mashkevich, MDNew York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Steven J. Pearlman, MD, FACS · Answer

Sometimes noses appear wider after removing a large hump. These noses aren't really wider, it is an optical illusion that a smaller hump can appear wider from changes in the shadowing. Even the eyes may appear wider apart. Contrast this to adding a graft to raise the bridge in very flat noses. When patients have very short nasal bones, moving them through osteotomy (breaking the bones) doesn't narrow them very much. But, raising the bridge makes the nose appear narrower and the eyes closer together.

Richard W. Westreich, MD · Answer

hi AJ,Rhinoplasty can certainly accomplish the changes you are looking for within reason. It depends on all the changes you are looking to accomplish though. If you go for a consultation it will help to clear things up. Taller noses are narrower than flatter ones. That's true. However if you want a nose that's not so flat, the chances of being narrow afterwards goes up. Smaller noses don't breathe better. There's less space inside when the outside is made smaller. You can, however improve breathing if a turbinate reduction and septoplasty are performed. Again, if you don't make a nose too small that will work. You can't narrow a nose without osteotomies or bone breaks unless you augment the height with an implant. If you don't need an implant and you don't want osteotomies you can't be narrowed in the upper nose. There are many other nuance issues such as these. That's why it's such a complicated surgery and that's why you need to work with someone focused on nasal surgery in order to get the most out of the surgery. Hope this information helps. Best of luck.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

You can achieve a natural result with a refined tip while deprojecting the nose.Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds  
of rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty revisions each year.  Then look at the 
 plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a   
sense of who can deliver the results. 	Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

William Portuese, MD · Answer

While it is possible to make a long nose short(de- project it) it's also important to make sure the nose balances with itself and your facial features. To narrow the base of the nose, this is accomplished with osteotomies of the nasal bones and tip suturing techniques to the lower lateral cartilages of the nasal tip area.Rhinoplasty is a difficult endeavor,  so choose your surgeon wisely based on extensive experience. For  many before and after examples of how we have addressed overly projecting and long noses, please see the link below to our rhinoplasty photo gallery

is it possible/realistic to make a long and narrow nose shorter without making it wider with a rhinoplasty?

Answers (9)