26 year old female. Nose has been gradually drooping throughout 20s. Can anyone explain what is going on?

Question

I've noticed that my nose has been gradually drooping throughout my 20s. The tip started growing downwards around the time I was 22-23 and I was satisfied with how it looked because it started looking thinner and not as bulbous from the front; it seemed to be refining itself. Recently, I have noticed that the tip has descended a bit more and the bulbous part looks more lumped at the bottom. Note: the tip of my nose has always been quite "fleshy", nasal tip cartilage doesn't show through.

Steven M. Denenberg, MD · Answer

If you are considering a rhinoplasty, remember that rhinoplasty is an exquisitely difficult operation to get right, and you should only have surgery if you are able to make yourself very confident in your surgeon's skills. For most noses, it's much better to not have surgery than to have inexpertly-performed surgery. Read my essay on how to stay out of trouble while selecting a rhinoplasty surgeon. 
A long nose is also a perfect example of why computer imaging is mandatory in rhinoplasty. You need to know exactly what the surgeon is planning to accomplish -- what features he thinks he can change, and by how much he thinks he can change them. I always email morphs to my online rhinoplasty consultations. When you see the surgeon's goals in the morphs, you'll know whether he has an eye for an attractive nose, and whether he shares your opinion of what constitutes an attractive nose. You'll also know whether the changes he proposes are large enough to be meaningful to you, and whether he understands your wishes enough to address all of your priorities. How would you ever get that figured out without the morphs?! 
But remember, you're not the surgeon for his skills with the computer. The doctor must then show you his before and after photos to prove that he can actually accomplish what he draws on the computer.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

We need photographs to determine what is going on. An examination by a very experienced rhinoplasty surgeon will give you more information about this and your options.

Eugene Kim, MD · Answer

It's difficult to make recommendations without seeing your nose.  However, if the tip is droopy it can be corrected with a rhinoplasty.  Usually cartilage is taken from the septum and used as a graft to support the tip.  I recommend seeing a rhinoplasty surgeon for consultation.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

A full set of facial photographs and an in-prescription examination along with computer imaging are required to make a determination about how best to proceed.  Make appointments with 3 busy rhinoplasty surgeons in your local area

Michael K. Obeng, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. It is hard to answer the question without seeing pictures of your nose. However, if you can please forward pictures, we will be more than happy to give you an assessment. What I can surmise, maybe you had a possible septum injury which can sometimes have untoward consequences. Before you have any surgery, my recommendation is to try to eat healthy, incorporate more protein in your diet to aid your healing. Try as much as possible to get to your ideal body weight or a healthy weight. And also please make sure that your surgeon is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and he or she has hospital privileges to do the same type of procedure(s) in the hospital that he or she plans to do on you, and finally an accredited surgery center is used. Thank you  and best of luck!

Michael Elam, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear Essem92,   You sound like you are a candidate for rhinoplasty surgery to address the drooping and bulbous tip. I would suggest that you seek some consultations with experts in the field of rhinoplasty surgery and have imaging performed to show you the proposed changes rhinoplasty can provide for you. Once you have agreed upon the desired result the surgeon will discuss with you the techniques that will be used to attain your desired nose. See many before and afters in the link attached below. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.

26 year old female. Nose has been gradually drooping throughout 20s. Can anyone explain what is going on?

Answers (6)

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