There are a number of things I'd like to correct about my nose (bulbous tip, wide base, wide nostrils) but I'm most concerned about the bony sides of the bridge. Are these considered the dorsal sidewalls? I'm not sure what the correct term for them is, or if they're even considered a part of the nose. But I do feel that the "height" of this bony area makes my upper nose seem very chunky and masculine. Do rhinoplasties typically take care of this part of the face?
March 17, 2014
Answer: Wide bony vault It appears that you are concerned with the width of the bony vault of your nose. Some other 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. In the case of a wide bony vault, osteotomies (controlled fractures of the bones) can be performed to narrow the bony vault of the nose and narrow the point of inflection where the cheek appears to transition into the nasal sidewall of the nose. This change in the bony vault along with improving tip definition and projection can help to make the nose appear less flat and wide giving 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. If done well, it is possible to achieve a result after rhinoplasty that looks significantly better to you while making it not obvious that surgery was ever performed. You would benefit from a consultation with a board certified plastic surgery that has significant experience with rhinoplasty in black patients.
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March 17, 2014
Answer: Wide bony vault It appears that you are concerned with the width of the bony vault of your nose. Some other 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. In the case of a wide bony vault, osteotomies (controlled fractures of the bones) can be performed to narrow the bony vault of the nose and narrow the point of inflection where the cheek appears to transition into the nasal sidewall of the nose. This change in the bony vault along with improving tip definition and projection can help to make the nose appear less flat and wide giving 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. If done well, it is possible to achieve a result after rhinoplasty that looks significantly better to you while making it not obvious that surgery was ever performed. You would benefit from a consultation with a board certified plastic surgery that has significant experience with rhinoplasty in black patients.
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March 9, 2014
Answer: Bony narrowing and Rhinoplasty The issue of the upper nose being wide that you mention is a very common issue. Narrowing the sidewalls is accomplished by osteotomies (bone cuts) and then narrowing the nasal bones. If your case I would suggest perforating double lateral osteotomies for narrowing, since the frontal process of the maxilla is prominent in your case. I wrote a paper on this with Dr. William Lawson about 12 years ago. It was published by the archives of facial plastic surgery. If you can look it up and read it, you may find it interesting. There is also a brief explanation of the papers content on my website (newfaceny.com). All the best.
Helpful
March 9, 2014
Answer: Bony narrowing and Rhinoplasty The issue of the upper nose being wide that you mention is a very common issue. Narrowing the sidewalls is accomplished by osteotomies (bone cuts) and then narrowing the nasal bones. If your case I would suggest perforating double lateral osteotomies for narrowing, since the frontal process of the maxilla is prominent in your case. I wrote a paper on this with Dr. William Lawson about 12 years ago. It was published by the archives of facial plastic surgery. If you can look it up and read it, you may find it interesting. There is also a brief explanation of the papers content on my website (newfaceny.com). All the best.
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