What's Most Attractive in a Male Nose?

You have made some very good observations with regards to male and female noses. I have found that no two individuals, male or female, will necessarily look good with the same nose. The noses that you have found to be attractive in females are likely proportionate to the face and follow some basic parameters and measurements that we generally follow to help us with our judgment during rhinoplasty. The variations in rhinoplasty you have noticed in females are in large part related to some of the art that is required to create the subtle changes that make the nose look good. What you see in male noses are exactly as you have interpreted them. Male noses help convey confidence and attractiveness when they are strong, full, and well defined.

Hello and thank you for your question. The key for a good male rhinoplasty is keeping the nose very natural looking and not overly scooping out the dorsum or overly rotating the tip. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

You are correct in thinking there are significant differences between male and female rhinoplasty. Women tend to look better with a slightly upturned tip, a narrower bridge, and a slight curve to the bridge are usually desired. Men typically prefer a straighter bridge and less rotation on the tip. However, both men and women require a careful, customized approach to this procedure to ensure the "new" nose is proportionate to the other facial features and looks natural on the face. This takes expertise, experience, and a touch of artistry to get it just right. I encourage you to schedule consultations with some board-certified facial plastic surgeons who have performed many male rhinoplasties. With an in-person assessment and detailed discussion of your concerns and goals, you can select the surgeon who is the best fit for you.

This is an excellent question. There is no one right answer for what makes a male nose attractive as everyone's facial features and structure are different. However, there are certain common features that my male patients often ask for when coming in for a rhinoplasty consultation. These include:
1. Straight dorsum or bridge
2. No supratip break (eliminating any indentation that defines the tip of the nose)
3. Angle between lip and nose is about 90 to 95 degrees. 


Gary Linkov, MD
Rhinoplasty Specialist
Manhattan

My approach to male rhinoplasty is very conservative. I firmly believe that the key to a natural, handsome nose is always “less is more.” It is important to recognize that what makes a woman’s nose attractive is different from what is attractive in a male nose. Men often come to me concerned about a large dorsal prominence, a downturned nasal tip, and/or a bulbous tip.  Men also have heavier bones along with thicker skin than women. With precision, I gently file bones rather than breaking them, creating a neat, straight line from the root of a man’s nose to the tip, and making sure that a strong masculinity is preserved.  It is important as well that the angle between the upper lip and the nose tip not be turned up in a feminine way. By respecting the above, I enjoy achieving attractive results that make men appear as if they were born with naturally handsome features. It is important to have an in-person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive knowledge and experience in male rhinoplasty.  

Although they say there is no accounting for taste, I would agree that a woman can “pull off” more looks than a man, but a successful rhinoplasty in both cases is the one that looks natural. When you take into consideration all facial features of a person, the nose should be in “perfect harmony” with them.
If we are talking about an “attractive male nose”, the general consensus is that it’s a nose that shows character. More precise, that means the nose should not be small or too small, have a defined look/tip, be well proportionated with the chin and can also be a bit longer and wider. Also, which is a big difference when compared with female noses, the male nasal profile should not be curved (slope), but either straight or have a slight bump, to avoid looking operated. These details help achieve a masculine, distinct and natural looking result in a male rhinoplasty.  

There is (and therefore should be in surgery) a major difference between female and male nasal shape. Although skin thickness determines how "round" the nasal contours and breakpoints are, the shape in general has to be "feminine" in women and "masculine" in men. In addition, for the nose to look natural, it must be follow certain ratios and proportions with the patient's facial features.
In general terms, a feminine nose should be smaller in size, the tip more rotated between the tip and the lip (95-110 degrees to be more precise) and the dorsum slightly "scooped". On the other hand, the male nose should be more straight from the side view, with less rotation of the tip (90-95 degrees).
Nasal skin thickness and texture has a big effect on nasal appearance and therefore beauty.  Many males have thicker skin over the nose, causing less definition and therefore shape. What is important however is the overall proportionality of the nose to the face. If within proportional ratios, the nose will look good and natural in aesthetically terms.
Hope this helps,
Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Thank you for your question.You are right with your observations. The ideal or perfect nose is difficult to define, same like art, but everyone can recognize it when they see it. There are common ideal features which are seen across the ethnic groups. The ideal feminine face has large eyes and mouth, a trianglular shaped face and a small nose.
On the other hand, the ideal male face has small eyes, large jaw, square shaped face and a strong nose, but not a small nose. A small male nose is rarely desirable

 It is of utmost importance that a male nose must stay masculine.  The masculinity of a male nose comes from preserving certain features including preserving a high spot on the profile, not turning up the tip too much, not sculpting the tip too much, not making the bones too narrow. It is essentially one of the most conservative surgeries I perform, yet most surgeons treat a male nose just like they would a female nose. Preserving the masculine architecture while delivering meaningful refinement is the key to success for male scarless rhinoplasty. Breathing surgery is often a component with male scarless rhinoplasty, where sometimes I perform a Septoplasty (breathing surgery to fix a deviated septum) alone vs a combination Septorhinoplasty (breathing surgery to fix a deviated septum in addition to cosmetic rhinoplasty). 

You are absolutely right to observe that the ideal aesthetic appearing male nose is different from the female nose.  Often times men that appear attractive have more angular features in general.  Perhaps this is what you are getting at with your description of a "shapeless nose".  The textbooks say the the ideal male nose has a straight bridge or dorsum.  Unlike the female nose the supra tip break is less important in the male nose and too much of a supra tip break can appear feminine.  Also the nasolabila angle should be closer to 90 degrees to appear more masculine.  There is also a signifiant range of attractive male noses across different ethnicities and races.  Also it is important for the attractive male nose to fit with the rest of the features on his face. 

The ideal male nose is different to the ideal female nose
The dorsum of the idea male nose should be straight or have slight hump. A scooped out dorsum on a male can be feminizing and is generally avoided. The angle between the lip and the tip of the nose should be around or less than 90 degrees in males. In women the ideal angle would be slightly greater than 90 degrees, with a slightly upturned nose. An upturned nose in a male is generally avoided as this can be feminizing. These values are however only guidelines and there are many attractive noses that do not fall within these criteria. Other important factors are skin thickness, ethnicity, chin position and height. There are so many factors at play, and each face is different. The key is maintaining facial harmony between the nose and the rest of the face. Most patients request very reasonable changes, for patients requesting usual changes it is important that the Doctor explain the likely change not on just the nose but on the overall facial appearance - (both expected and unexpected). Computer manipulation software can help with this. I hope this helps, good luck.