Rhinoplasty concerns. Will my long upper lip and high radix cause problems? (Photo)

The concerns that you have are quite valid.  You have what is known as a tension nose.  The protrusion of the nasal septum is responsible for the over projection of your nose in the bottom two thirds of your nose.  Deepening the radix, the area where your nose meets your forehead, is what will need to take place in order to prevent the look of the nose leading into the forehead without an appropriate naso facial angle or break.  In the proper hands, you will get a wonderful result and be very pleased with your decision.  

Hello and thank you for the question and sharing your photos. I believe you are a great candidate for rhinoplasty. You have a dorsal hump, high radix and a bulbous tip. You will benefit from reduction of the dorsal hump, likely deepening the radix and nasal tip refinement. My best advice is that you discuss your concerns and aesthetic goals with a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in performing rhinoplasty. I would ask to see before and after pictures of their real patients. It's important that you trust your surgeon's skills and ability to achieve the results you are looking for. In particular, pay attention to your surgeon's experience with rhinoplasty. Best,

Pejman Aflaki, M.D.

Johns Hopkins-trained double board-certified plastic surgeon

 

You're right that your radix is a bit too high and anterior. This can (and probably should) be deepened during rhinoplasty, but be aware that there are anatomic limits on how much a radix can be deepened. As for the upper lip, no, it shouldn't end up looking longer and in fact it might even look better if the nasal spine were reduced a bit. Your surgeon should be able to simulate for you on the computer what might be possible given your anatomy. That's important to make sure you and your doctor are on the same page aesthetically. All the best,
--DCP
Pearson Facial Plastic Surgery®

Hello and thank you for your question. Based on your photographs, you may benefit from a tip refining rhinoplasty which can performed by trimming, suturing, and reshaping the cartilage in your lower nose. You may also benefit from a cephalic rotation of your tip to turn up your tip slightly and a dorsal hump reduction.  I agree with your goals of lowering the radix height also.   Make sure you specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon and not just a computer animation system.  You should be able to view numerous pictures of actual patients with noses similar to yours performed by your surgeon.  If you cannot find enough real before and after pictures, then consider continuing your search for a surgeon. Best wishes and good luck.


Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS

Harvard-trained plastic surgeon
 

Thank you for your question. Your an excellent candidate for rhinoplasty. I totally agree with you that the morphed picture would not be an acceptable result. I would lower your radix considerably. It would be important for you to only interview plastic surgeons who have extensive experience in rhinoplasty, performing at least 6-10 a month and have been doing it for many years.  Remember, rhinoplasty is an art form, so study your prospective rhinoplasty surgeon's galleries critically. Best wishes to you.

If you have significant dissatisfaction with your nasal appearance, well-performed rhinoplasty surgery may lead to a smaller and less distracting nasal appearance. I would suggest consulting with several reputable rhinoplasty specialists so you could see what to expect. An Avatarish result should not occur based on what you're starting with. Hope this helps. Dr Joseph

You are a good candidate for rhinoplasty. Shortening your septum can conceivably lengthen the upper lip but not to a degree that would be a problem at all.

Dear Exuberant7279,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Based on your photos, it looks like you would benefit from rhinoplasty. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thanks for sharing your photos. Looking at the photos, it seems that the protuberance of your nose in the bottom two thirds is due the bulging nasal septum. I can see you have got a ‘tension nose’ as well, so the outcome could be more aesthetic with deepening of the radix (the skin area at the upper margin of the nose where the bridge meets the forehead). Enhancing features of the tip of nose by reducing segments of tip cartilage can certainly help in a well proportionate face. I would recommend you to seek advice of an experienced facial plastic surgeon to discuss your specific aesthetic details. I hope this helps. All the best.

You are correct to have your concerns and it is likely that removing your nasal hump will produce a result that is similar to the example you have found.  Image manipulation will help you see this change on your own nose.  The radix is a very difficult area to reduce reliably.