Would a Person with a Small Bifid Indention on the Tip of the Nose Be Turned Down for a Rhinoplasty?

The answer is - yes. Rhinoplasty surgery is done all the time by facial plastic surgeons to address the bifid nasal tip issue. I would be surprised if a true expert rhinoplasty surgeon turns you down - unless you have a medical issue that precludes having surgery. I would say that most plastic surgeons focus on other types of cosmetic surgery - not on the nose. You need to find a facial plastic surgeon that has dedicated expertise in cosmetic nose surgery. Do your homework - it will pay dividends down the road. 

I think Nicole Kidman may have had the same thing (at least a bifid columella), although maybe not any more!  It is certainly not a problem for the surgeon.  It is called a bifid tip.  Usually we trim the nasal tip cartilages and suture them together in the midline, and this can lessen or even eliminate the indentation.  If you want to look at some tip rhinoplasties and read more, you can use the link to this section of my website.

 Thank you for your question. The line that you are describing is from a separation of the cartilages that form the tip of your nose. In some cases, these cartilages are not fused together in the middle. This creates a slight separation, which results in the line that you see in your nose. This is called a bifid tip.

The bifid tip can be corrected as part of a rhinoplasty. The cartilages can be brought together and held by sutures. This remodeling of the tip is a standard part of a rhinoplasty, when needed, and should be able to be done by any plastic surgeon experienced in rhinoplasty.

I would suggest discussing your nose with a board certified plastic surgeon that has considerable experience with rhinoplasties. They can analyze your nose and discuss the options with you, which would included correction of the bifidity.

Best of luck with your nose.

Jeff Rockmore

Rhinoplasty can address your bifid tip. The two basic ways to fix the issue is to suture the cartilages of your tip closure together or to fill in the depressed area with a soft tissue graft.

Often the bifid tip is related to having thin skin. If the problem is related to having tip cartilages which are too widely spaced, the suturing method may be needed to narrow this spacing.

No. This is part of a rhinoplasty often!

It is commonly part of the tip work to reshape the cartilages. I routinely suture the lower lateral cartilages as part of my operation.

Good luck

Dr Saunders

The bifidity you are describing is actually very common, especially amongst individuals with thinner skin.  The cartilages that make up the tip of your nose (lower lateral cartilages) are a bit divergent in your case, thus causing a visible gap between them, and thus the bifid indention you describe.  This can be easily corrected with rhinoplasty, most commonly with a combination of tip suturing techniques to bring the diverging cartilage in the tip of your nose back together.  Plastic surgeons experienced with rhinoplasty will be very comfortable correcting this defect.    

Quite the contrary, a bifid nasal tip is one of the many tip deformities that a rhinoplasty can correct very well. The bifid tip is due to a wide separation of the lower alar cartilages as they converge in the dome area. Bringing the cartilages closer together will eliminate the bifid tip and is a very common technique used in tip rhinoplasty.

A bifid tip is a common complaint. This can often be corrected with a tip rhinoplasty.  A consult is essential.

Bifidity of the tip is not an uncommon complaint of rhinoplasty patients. Most often it is due to separation of the two major tip cartilages. Elimination of this separation by bringing the cartilages together corrects the problem in the majority of patients. Some may need a camouflaging graft instead or in addition. How much you want to see changed is what you need to discuss with your surgeon. Good luck.

Approximation of a bifid tip which  is caused by a separation of the tip cartilages  is frequently corrected in rhinoplasty surgery. This will narrow your tip and eliminate an obvious defect. It is normal to feel nervous before an initial consultation. Share all your concerns during your meeting with this surgeon..