Is my nose bridge too low? Is it weird if I just fix tip & alar? (Photos)

Question

I’m thinking of doing rhinoplasty. So i was wondering if my bridge is considered low or not? My priority is to fix my alar & tip - as my nostril is too visible from the front side. My concern is that i will look unnatural if I just fix the tip & alar without the bridge. if i do need a bridge fix, i’m thinking of doing rib cartilage. But i’m worried it might look too high if i use rib. If you consider my face harmony, how should i fix my nose? How high should i do my bridge?

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

The precise size, shape and style of your nose should be determined after careful consultation with your rhinoplasty surgeon. Based on your aesthetic goals and baseline anatomy, she/he will be able to discuss the things to consider when determining the ideal amount of augmentation and projection. I prefer to use computer imaging to facilitate this conversation with my patients. Some things to consider for the optimal dorsal height include: the distance between your eyes, the transition with the brows/forehead, the projection of your lips/chin, the appearance of your other facial features, your height, et cetera.

William Lao, MD · Answer

Rhinoplasty is always about the overall proportion of the entire nose. From the straight gaze photo, the bridge does look slightly low and the bridge is not exactly straight, this will improve with bridge augmentation. But as you stated if you make the bridge too high, it will give you an "avatar" unnatural appearance, so it is best to see a board certified plastic surgeon and maybe most helpful if the surgeon's office like ours, has a 3D simulation program that you can simulate the different changes of your nose on your face (ie. changing just the tip, just the alar, just the bridge or all of them) for you to see what best fits your aesthetic goal.

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Hello, hope you are well. Thank you for posting your photos and questions! The height of your bridge is very nice and if any augmentation is done, it should be conservative. I would favor leaving it alone, or perhaps a small radix graft. I do not think rib cartilage is necessary based on the photos here. Tip-plasty for refinement and alarplasty to narrow the nasal base are very good ideas that could be accomplished without creating an unnatural appearance. Good luck!
Best,Dr. Tower

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

I don’t care for building up the bridge in Asian noses. However alarplasty would work just fine. That I have done as a stand along procedure many times especially in ethnic noses

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Your nose bridge is just fine, best to leave that alone. You can perform an alar plasty performed under local anesthesia to simply narrow your nostrils.

Is my nose bridge too low? Is it weird if I just fix tip & alar? (Photos)

Answers (5)