Doctor says my nose skin is too thick. Should I get a second opinion? (Photo)

Hi there! Thick nasal skin is not a contraindication to performing a rhinoplasty. Your nostrils can be reduced in size and your tip refined. An open rhinoplasty would allow this to occur. For thick skin, the nose needs to be stretched with strong, cartilage grafts. By doing so, the nasal skin becomes more refined. You have to be careful about trying to thin the skin by cutting the underside away. That can lead to compromise of the blood supply. In short, there are options and I would seek another opinion with a facial plastic surgeon. Hope this helps!

Hi, there! Unfortunately, if you have thick skin, you really can't get a very small and defined nasal tip with rhinoplasty. However, there are other ways to get very close to what you desired.
I would recommend starting with a consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon that specializes in rhinoplasty surgery to discuss if rhinoplasty can address your concerns.

I would recommend writing down the following questions before scheduling your consultation:
1. Are you unhappy with the tip of your nose?
2. Do you feel that your nose is too wide?
3. Do you want to make your nostrils smaller in appearance?
4. Are you looking to decrease the general size of your nose?
I hope some of these questions will help you pinpoint what it is that you don't like about your nose. Cost will vary due to various factors like anesthesia fees, facilities fees, etc. I wish you the best as you research your options when scheduling a rhinoplasty consultation.

Sincerely,
Philip J. Miller, MD, FACS Double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

You should absolutely seek a second opinion, because I operate regularly on patients with thick skin, and I achieve good results for them. The level of detail will be slightly less than on a thin-skinned patient, but in the right surgical hands (and just based on your photos, of course), it appears that your nasal configuration could be improved to give you the more refined tip that you have always desired. Perhaps the first surgeon you saw was not experienced enough and didn’t feel confident to do your surgery? In which case, it was the right thing to do to forego operating on you. Rhinoplasty surgery is detailed and complex, and a 1 mm change makes all the difference in the world. Please seek out plastic surgeons with decades of rhinoplasty experience. Look at their before-and-after photos to determine if you share their aesthetics.