I Have A Wide, Flat Nose. Can It Be Changed? (photo)

For sure your nose could achieve a rather significant improvement in terms of being more refined with a defined tip.  The key - establishing a strong columella/tip, after which the rest of the nose will fall into place.  Likely this requires using septal cartilage for a columellar strut, and other challenging techniques.  Do your homework and make sure you see plenty of before and after photos of cases like yours. 

Greetings from Istanbul and thank you for sharing your concerns.To address your question: Rhinoplasty aimed at significant transformation, such as what you're considering, can be more complex but it's not necessarily more dangerous or associated with a longer recovery period. It's all about selecting a skilled surgeon experienced in ethnic rhinoplasty.For the changes you desire, the procedure would likely involve a few key steps:- Refinement of the nasal bones to achieve a more streamlined look,- Use of a rib cartilage graft to elevate and define the bridge of your nose,- A strategic tip plasty to eliminate excessive fatty tissue, coupled with additional rib grafting for structure, and- Reduction of the nostrils to align with the newly contoured nose.The end result would be a narrower nose with a less bulbous tip and more projection that complements your facial features beautifully.Your next step should be to seek a consultation with a surgeon specializing in African American rhinoplasty, who would be able to provide more personalized advice. Best of luck!

You should be able to get dramatic results but be careful you don't go too far the opposite way. In other words, I wouldn't recommend turning yout tip into a "point". Changing your tip into one that is more narrow, with better definition and projection will create an obvious difference without looking strange. Take celebrity photos with you at your consultations to better help you explain to your surgeon what you are looking for. Good luck.

AA and ethnic noses require augmentation on the nose bride, tiplasty to refine the tip, and often alar base reduction to narrow the base of nose.  Options available to raise the bride are silastic implants and your own cartilage from either behind the ear or rib cartilage, depending on the amount needed.  A thorough consultation with an experienced ethnic rhinoplasty surgeon will help you decide on your best options.  

African American frequently desire rhinoplasty to create a thinner nose and make the nose less flat.  Many of the techniques discussed are different than Caucasian rhinoplasty which often involves reductive techniques. First of all, there are a variety of techniques to thin a nose including:1. Osteotomies- narrowing nasal bones2. Augmenting the bridge- using cartilage to make the nose appear thinnerIn addition, the nasal tip can be made both thinner and less flat by projection of the nasal tip.  This is often accomplished by using cartilage from the nose to support the nasal tip and give it structure.  Finally, some patients desire less heaviness along the bottom of the nose benefit from an alar base reduction.  This can involve a variety of techniques including inside the nose and outside the nose approaches.  

African-American rhinoplasty is a subspecialty that requires extra care, training and expertise. To give your nose more definition and make it look less flat, the surgeon will take cartilage from another area of your body, such as:

The nasal septumThe earA ribThis would be used to build up your nasal bridge and support reconstruction of the nose so that the improvements obtained during surgery would be maintained throughout your lifetime. During your rhinoplasty procedure, the tip of the nose would be reshaped to give it more of the “point” that you desire. This is done by bring the tip of your nose out farther from the face, thinning the nasal skin, and reshaping the nasal tip cartilages.  The nasal bones and width of the nostrils are wide.  They will be made slimmer with nasal osteotomies and alar base reduction.  Rhinoplasty should improve the shape of your nose while preserving its unique ethnic qualities and keeping it in harmony with the rest of your face.

An in-person consultation is mandatory for all rhinoplasty patients. The AA nose is characterized by short and weak columella, wide nasal tip with thick nasal skin and a wide nasal vault. Improvements can be made in all of these zones of the nose, but its can be a challenging operation that employs the use of special grafting techniques. Realistic expectations are important and an experienced plastic surgeon can help you arrive at them.

You should be able to expect considerable improvement from a rhinoplasty procedure. Your procedure would most likely involve the use of grafts in the tip and bridge are. The bottom of the nose may be narrowed by removing some of the extra nostril. The skin may need to be thinned from the under surface to get more narrowing and definition. 

It is definitely possible to change the appearance of your nose. It appears that you would most likely need narrowing of the entire framework with augmentation of the bridge and creation of a narrower, more projected tip.The height of the bridge requires placement of cartilage grafts. I usually use diced cartilage (ear or rib) wrapped in fascia from your temple. Augmenting the bridge gives the illusion of narrowing it as well--although, we occasionally also break the nasal bones to improve the effect. The tip will most likely require an extended cartilage graft going from the base of your nose between the nostrils to the new high point of tip definition. This can be either nasal septal cartilage, double-layered ear cartilage or rib cartilage. And finally, the base of your nose will need the appropriate amount of narrowing via any of several techniques. Because of various skin thicknesses, it has been my practice to inject various medications to decrease scar formation and use taping to help modulate the final outcome.

It is common for patients to have 1 or 2 things that really bother them about their nose. A few of the most common concerns that prompt black patients to seek rhinoplasty include the flat bridge and the width of the lower nose including flaring of the nostrils. Additionally, a flat, large, ill-defined tip may also accompany these other features. Increasing the height of the dorsum will help to balance the profile but also improve definition of the bridge from the front view. This along with improving tip definition and projection can help to make the nose appear less flat and give the nose more definition. Typically, alar base surgery is also required to decrease the flaring or an excessively rounded appearance of the nostrils as well as their size. Although it is possible to make the nose look significantly better with rhinoplasty, it is important that the resulting changes still appear in balance with the other facial features and remain ethnically congruent to avoid an unnatural result and stigmatizing result. The goal of rhinoplasty surgery should be to create a nose that is best suited to your face both in proportion and shape so that you achieve the most natural looking result. Finally, rhinoplasty in the black patient is no riskier than any other ethnicity.

The type of rhinoplasty you are seeking is an ethnic rhinoplasty but more specifically an african american rhinoplasty.  The ethnic nose is typically, though not always, oily with thick skin and have nasal features that are not well-defined.  There is usually a lack of support as well that makes the nose very soft.  Your nose lacks definition and I agree it takes away from your other facial features and doesn't balance your face. There are several techniques used to raise the bridge and make the nose and tip thinner.  It is another form of rhinoplasty and isn't necessarily more work or harder if you have an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon with a large population of brown skin individuals.  It is not anymore dangerous than any other type of rhinoplasty.  However, because of the thicker skin, it will hold on to fluid longer than thin skin will so you may not be presentable for 10-15 days instead of 7-10 days.