Is the misaligned tip of my nose able to be corrected with a rhinoplasty? (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 tip rhinoplasty where the nasal tip cartilage is modified to straighten the columella -- the central portion of nasal skin between your nostrils where your "nose connects to the upper lip". The modification of your nasal cartilage can be done with trimming, stitching or grafting. However, the key in that last sentence is "grafting" -- typically your septum is harvested for cartilage in a rhinoplasty; if you already had a septoplasty, your septal cartilage was likely resected and you may need MTF (cadaver) cartilage to use as a graft to align the nasal tip as you mentioned.

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

Malalignment of your Columella: an additional view of your nose from underneath looking up at the nostrils would be helpful in making a better assessment. However, in general when one has a deviated septum some residual malalignment may persist despite a septoplasty. The malalignment is more likely to be a residual of the original septal deviation than a result of the corrective septal surgery. Further work can sometimes be done to correct the residual asymmetry.

Dear coleman1,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Based on your photos. it looks like you would benefit from rhinoplasty. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery