Am I candidate for a Rhinoplasty? I am afraid it will look unnatural as I don't want a very altered look. (photos)

Hello and thank you for your question. Although an exam in person is ideal, from your photographs alone it appears that you can benefit from a subtle dorsal hump reduction and a tip rhinoplasty where the nasal tip cartilage is modified for a more refined, feminine look -- your nose does not appear significantly droopy as much as it has excess columellar show; moreover, deprojection of the nasal tip may over-rotate the nose and so I would be careful in that regard...

Overall, the modification of your nasal cartilage can be done with trimming, stitching or grafting. If your septum is deviated and you have breathing difficulty, a septoplasty may benefit you as well. The next step for you is to find the right aesthetic plastic surgeon. In your rhinoplasty consultation, be sure your surgeon addresses all your aesthetic goals and concerns specifically, and discusses the surgery details including the position and size of the incisions used (with actual photographs and not just digital animations), the risks and benefits of the procedure, recovery time, and post-operative course. Also, be sure to see plenty of before-and-after pictures in women who have a similar nose appearance to yours, and preferably at different time frames (3 weeks out, 3 months out, etc) to more accurately predict your own surgical outcome.

After seeking out a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery, I think the most important component of the consultation is to establish a good connection with your plastic surgeon. It’s the connection that allows you to clearly define your desired nose outcome goals, the first step of this whole process. If you don’t feel you have a good connection with your plastic surgeon after your consultation, he/she may not be the best surgeon for you.

For more information on rhinoplasty, please refer to my link below.

Good luck.

Mark K Markarian, MD, MSPH, FACS
Harvard-trained Board Certified Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

Hi @Thoughtful748271. Thank you for sharing your photos. You are an excellent candidate for a rhinoplasty. I recommend seeing an expert rhinoplasty specialist for an in person examination. There are options for you that can be determined after examination.

Best of luck,

Dr. Nima

Thank you for your question! Rhinoplasty or "nose job" procedures can help shape, define, and modify the nose's appearance. Per your images and descriptions, your concerns could be improved with this procedure. It is possible to maintain your nose's natural look while making minor corrections and even assist with the nose base retracting when smiling which can make the appearance of the tip project or droop down. There are multiple areas of the nose both internal and external that all work in conjunction for the overall appearance. It is important to find a provider who is qualified and knowledgeable in these procedures to ensure best results. Your physician should do a full facial evaluation, understand your goals especially if you would like to remain conservative, and provide the best treatment plan to get to your desired results.

From the photos that you have provided, you appear to be a perfect candidate for a primary cosmetic rhinoplasty. It is very common for patients to want to maintain their ethnic identity when consulting for a rhinoplasty or any cosmetic surgery. The projection of your nose is good for your face shape such that subtle but artistic changes can be made to your nose to create a more balanced and feminine look for your face. Possible changes to consider would be lessening the bump at your bridge, bringing up the columella so that it does not hang too low from the frontal view, refining the tip just a bit, and picking up the tip such that it would not droop over time. Going forward, I would recommend you to complete multiple in office consultations with board certified facial plastic surgeons to discuss your ideal outcome. This way, they can assess your goals in person and determine the best treatment for you. Best of luck! Kian Karimi MD, FACS

Thank you for your question. This is actually a very common request. Not every patient wants an Instagram Barbie doll nose. The most important thing is to discuss your ideal nose with your doctor and come to a common ground on what it achievable.

Thank you for providing a photo along with your question. Based on these images, I think you can benefit from dorsal hump reduction. I recommend an in-person consultation with a reputable board-certified facial plastic surgeon to find out if you’d make a good candidate for rhinoplasty. A skilled and experienced surgeon should be able to perform an accurate assessment through a visual examination of your profile and successfully perform the complex procedure. Only highly experienced surgeons can help you safely achieve natural-looking results. Look for surgeons with a strong portfolio.

You are my ideal patient! I agree 100% that rhinoplasty surgery should make you, specifically, look better, yet at the same time, not drastically different. It sounds like an impossible request, but it’s one I hear often in my practice as a board certified plastic surgeon with decades of experience in rhinoplasty surgery. It makes me genuinely happy when my patients say how pleased they are with their results. I often hear, “Thank you, Dr. Weintraub! I still look like me – but a better version.” I also hear, “This is the nose I should have been born with!” In your case, you have a hanging collumela which can be reduced, and your bridge can be filed to create a neat, straight line from the bridge to the tip. To respect one’s ethnicity is to honor one’s ancestors, and by making subtle changes to your nose, I can help you to continue this ancestral honor while at the same time helping to better harmonize your features. I encourage you to seek board certified plastic surgeons who specialize in rhinoplasty surgery. I like to block at least 45 minutes to one hour to meet with patients, which ensures that all questions are answered. It is important that you feel comfortable with your surgeon and that you both agree on what the final result should look like. I recommend you bring with you photos of noses that you like to help communicate the end result you are seeking, and to ensure that you and your surgeon are on the same page.

A great way to start the process of finding the best rhinoplasty for you would be to review various surgeons' before and after photos to get a better idea of their aesthetic. This should help you get an idea whether they tend to only go for drastic changes (this may be their patients' goal) or if they can also do more of a finesse rhinoplasty.

Additionally, I find that the digital simulations that I do with my patients during the consultation process is very helpful in making sure that we're on the same page with regard to what changes (and to what degree) are desired.

Your photos reveal a long nasal appearance with a hanging columella, a droopy tip and a hump. Goals for rhinoplasty may be to improve your nasal profile so your nose disappears rather than call attention to itself. Consider consulting with several reputable rhinoplasty specialists who use computer imaging to establish goals. Thank you. Dr Joseph

Thank you for your question. You are an excellent candidate for rhinoplasty, I think it is one of the most beautifying surgeries that we do as plastic surgeons. A large portion of my practice is dedicated to rhinoplasty surgery. It is important to only see plastic surgeons with extensive experience in rhinoplasty, especially ethnic rhinoplasty, ie perform at least 6 per month and have performed hundreds of cases. Also, critically evaluate on-line galleries to see if their art form resonates with yours. Rhinoplasty is definitely a grey haired plastic surgeon's sport. Most plastic surgeons like to perform lip lift procedures at a separate time. Best wishes to you.