Showing Rhinoplasty Surgeon a Picture of a Nose That You Like?

Dear MJay,
Bringing in photos of noses you like can be very helpful. It is particularly useful in helping your rhinoplasty surgeon gauge whether you and he or she have similar aesthetic judgment. It's important that you realize, however, that bringing in photos does not mean that your surgeon will necessarily be able to re-create that nose on your face. Nasal appearance is controlled by individual differences in nasal cartilage and bone, as well as by differences in nasal skin thickness and quality. Nonetheless, I find photos brought in by patients to be very useful - it almost always leads to an enlightening discussion of what patients are hoping to achieve with surgery.
Hope this helps. Best of luck!

1. "Is it possible to show a picture ?" - You SHOULD show your plastic surgeons as many side and front pictures that you LIKE and HATE as possible. By doing so, you will communicate what shape you want and do not want.
2. "...or is it more complicated than that?" - Yes. Nose surgery is one of the most complicated procedures in plastic surgery. It consists of a large collection of a la carte surgical procedures, EACH intended to produce another result / shape.
Personally, I like to go over my patients' photographs and then have my patient's go over the photographs I took of them and draw on them what they hoped could be done. By fully understanding what you hope to achieve, your surgeon can tell you if what you are asking is achievable (IE realistic) and, if you ask, can actually explain which surgical sub-procedures may deliver the result you wish.
In summary, photographic discussions are very important. Another example where a picture is worth...well, you know.
I hope this was helpful.