What does it mean by having "thick skin"? Can it effect the results of a Rhinoplasty?

Skin thickness in rhinoplasty matters because it affects how much refinement of the underlying cartilage will be seen through the skin. In general terms, darker skin types have thicker skin. This makes it more difficult to create subtle refinements in the nasal tip and cartilage grafts are often used to help accentuate the desired result. On the other side of the spectrum, thin skin (usually lighter coloured skin) will show changes very easily and if cartilage graft are used, they can be seen through the skin and need to be camouflaged during the surgery. Your surgeon will evaluate your skin during a consult to assess whether or not you fall into a thin or thick skin category. 
I hope that clears it up for you! All the best, Dr. Brace

Skin thickness is a significant factor when evaluation a patient for rhinoplasty and setting expectations for tip definition after the procedure. The thicker the skin the more difficult it is to achieve definition to the tip. The surgeon can perform several surgical maneuvers that can help create more definition. This includes creating better tip projection, exaggerating the underlying definition of the cartilage structure, and thinning the skin. It is essential that your surgeon discuss the limitations and set realistic expectations for the surgical outcome. 

Patients with thick skin have a harder time getting very refined pointy tips, since their skin over the cartilages is thicker and the work the surgeon does on the cartilages will not show as well.

Thick skin with a  rhinoplasty often means that the tip may not get as refined as one might like......

The thickness of the skin is determined at the time of the examination and consultation. Most patients have thin skin on the top of the bridge line and more thick skin over the nasal tip cartilages. Thick skin is a significant impediment to seeing refinement in the nasal tip cartilages. Patients who have thick skin in the tip of the nose, the majority of the width of the tip is NOT cartilage, it is skin.  It is impossible to change the thickness of the skin. Seek out a very experienced rhinoplasty surgeon for an in-person examination and consultation.

Thickness of the skin is determined on exam by the surgeon. Thick skin is often oily and can be pinched and lifted. Thick skin can hide the shape of cartilages below so it makes it more difficult for the tip to have definition. Rhinoplasty is done a little differently if the skin is thick as the cartilages underneath have to be projected into the skin rather than reduced. Best wishes

There is undoubtedly differences in the thickness of nasal skin between people.  When you have very thin skin, the underlying structure of the cartilage and bone are very visible - allowing for beautiful definition. On the other hand, little imperfections can be very apparent.  When you have very thick skin, the underlying structure is hidden. It is hard to see little imperfections, but it is also hard to create definition. At times, the thick skin can be thinned of underlying fat, though this must be done conservatively as the skin needs a blood supply. To assess your own thickness, you should just meet with a facial plastic surgeon. Until you have felt hundreds of noses - it can be very hard to know the answer.  If you want to try on your own, pinch the skin of your tip and feel how much softness is there.  How visible are your cartilaginous edges?  If you cannot feel the cartilage or see the cartilage and you have porous thick skin, you likely have thick skin.... hope this helps.

Thanks for your question. The thickness of your skin is not something that can be altered significantly during rhinoplasty because of the need to preserve the blood flow which is directly below the skin surface. 
The reason skin thickness is very significant is because rhinoplasty is focused on altering the bone and cartilage of the nose. Thick skin acts to hide the definition of these structures and thus limit some of the contours of the nasal tip that are often desirable. 
I often tell patients that it is similar to judging someone's trunk physique when they are wearing a thick sweater vs. a thin t-shirt. 
Hope this helps!

Everybody's nasal skin is different and the thickness and composition of the soft tissues do vary across races and individuals. When a rhinoplasty is performed, the bony and cartilaginous structure is modified by making it smaller, thinner, taller, shorter, more defined, etc. The overlying skin and soft tissue envelope is just redraped over the new structure and needs to "shrink wrap" over it over the ensuing months. This takes time and does affect the result and/or limit the amount of change that can be obtained. There are certain things that can be used to help in cases of thick skin such as injecting steroids or using Accutane in low doses in the perioperative period. I hope this helps.