is it possible/realistic to make a long and narrow nose shorter without making it wider with a rhinoplasty?

The short answer to your questions is yes, but it would be most helpful if your nose could be examined in person. As mentioned in the other posts, numerous nuances require consideration in rhinoplasty and it is possible that in your particular case slight widening would be advisable / required to maintain a long-term patent airway. Grigoriy Mashkevich, MDNew York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Sometimes noses appear wider after removing a large hump. These noses aren't really wider, it is an optical illusion that a smaller hump can appear wider from changes in the shadowing. Even the eyes may appear wider apart. Contrast this to adding a graft to raise the bridge in very flat noses. When patients have very short nasal bones, moving them through osteotomy (breaking the bones) doesn't narrow them very much. But, raising the bridge makes the nose appear narrower and the eyes closer together.

hi AJ,Rhinoplasty can certainly accomplish the changes you are looking for within reason. It depends on all the changes you are looking to accomplish though. If you go for a consultation it will help to clear things up. Taller noses are narrower than flatter ones. That's true. However if you want a nose that's not so flat, the chances of being narrow afterwards goes up. Smaller noses don't breathe better. There's less space inside when the outside is made smaller. You can, however improve breathing if a turbinate reduction and septoplasty are performed. Again, if you don't make a nose too small that will work. You can't narrow a nose without osteotomies or bone breaks unless you augment the height with an implant. If you don't need an implant and you don't want osteotomies you can't be narrowed in the upper nose. There are many other nuance issues such as these. That's why it's such a complicated surgery and that's why you need to work with someone focused on nasal surgery in order to get the most out of the surgery. Hope this information helps. Best of luck.

You can achieve a natural result with a refined tip while deprojecting the nose.Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds
of rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty revisions each year. Then look at the
plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a
sense of who can deliver the results. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

While it is possible to make a long nose short(de- project it) it's also important to make sure the nose balances with itself and your facial features. To narrow the base of the nose, this is accomplished with osteotomies of the nasal bones and tip suturing techniques to the lower lateral cartilages of the nasal tip area.Rhinoplasty is a difficult endeavor,  so choose your surgeon wisely based on extensive experience. For  many before and after examples of how we have addressed overly projecting and long noses, please see the link below to our rhinoplasty photo gallery

A well done rhinoplasty will not make the nose wider -- unless you like it that way. It is designed to make it narrower and smaller, and it should fit your face.

An artistically performed rhinoplasty can modify the size as well as the shape of the nose in a variety of ways to produce an improved cosmetic result depending on desired outcome, individual anatomy and surgical expertise.Keep in mind that following the advice from a surgeon on this or any other website who proposes to tell you what to do without examining you, physically feeling the tissue, assessing your desired outcome, taking a full medical history, and discussing the pros and cons of each operative procedure would not be in your best interest. I would suggestyou find a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) or facial plastic surgeon (otolaryngologist) that you trust and are comfortable with. Youshould discuss your concerns with that surgeon in person.Robert Singer, MD FACSLa Jolla, California

HiYour comment about rhinoplasty realigning noses rather than reducing size of noses is incorrect. Rhinoplasty can make any sort of change to the nose but these changes depend on the individual skin thickness and cartilage shape and strength as well as bone abundance. Ultimately the new nose has also got to fit the face. But you are correct in that deprojecting a pointy long nose can make it appear wider especially with thicker skin. You need to find a surgeon who deals with all sorts of noses and does good nose jobs consistently and frequently. He should also use computer imaging to show you a somewhat accurate depiction of what your new nose may look like before you make a decision.

Having done this work for over 35 years I can assure you that many noses can be made shorter without increasing the width. However, I can also assure you that I have never seen two noses exactly the same during that same time. You need to contact an experienced surgeon who can evaluate your nose discuss your goals.