Is It Possible to Reduce a Very Large Nose to Significantly Smaller Nose?

Dear Alex,

What you need is a reduction rhinoplasty. Reduction rhinoplasty is the medical term used to describe nasal surgery planned to reduce the overall size of the nose. When Ii talk to my patients about cosmetic nasal surgery, specifically reduction rhinoplasty, I tell them that the nose should be addressed in three specific areas: the nasal hump, the tip area, and the width of the nose.
Most patients interested in nose job, want the "bump" on their nose to be taken down. This typically refers to the nasal dorsum. Other patients want to reduce the size of nasal tips that are too far from their faces. And there are some who are interested in reducing the width of their nose.
To address these changes and to maintain proper nasal proportion your surgeon should help you to understand how the nose and cartilage are modified and reshaped to create the desired shape. This not only helps to improve the appearance of the nose, but also restores self-confidence you deserve.
 

The answer to your question is yes, but there obviously is a limit to the amount of shrinkage the skin  of the nose will be able to accomplish.  The size of a nose is dependent on other facial proportions and is best sized to fit in with the rest of your facial features. That said, you would be surprised at how much smaller a nose can actually be made.

There is no question a large nose can be made significantly smaller but there are limitations.  2 of the most important factors are the skin thickness and the patients age.  The solid framework of the nose (ie, the bone and cartiledge) can be reduced but the skin may not redrape and retract enough to give a good contour.  Over reducing the nose to make it small, may create poor nasal / facial balance.  Instead of focusing on size as an end result, an excellant shape which is harmonious with your facial balance may be most satisfying.

Hi Alex,

Yes, with reduction rhinoplasty, a very large nose can be made significantly smaller.  Most importantly choose your rhinoplasty surgeon very carefully.  Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

Making a large nose smaller is one of the most common things done during rhinoplasty. How much of a change can be made depends on several factors, including your skin thickness and age. Although we can make the underlying structure of your nose quite a bit smaller, the overlying skin must redrape, or shrink-wrap around this new structure.

If the nose is over-reduced, you'd end up with an ill-defined nose (due to the excess skin) that may look worse than your original nose. We must balance the amount of nasal reduction with maintaining adequate support of the skin envelope. The assessment of how much smaller your nose can be made can be done during an examination. I use computer imaging to give my patients an idea of how much smaller the nose can safely be made. It's also important to assess the projection of the chin as an underprojected chin will exagerate the size of the nose.