Can Rhinoplasty Shorten my Nose and Make the Tip Not Stick out So Far? (photo)

The answer is Yes! But I wont leave it at that....

There are two main things to think about with your tip (1) Projection and (2) Rotation. Projection is how far it sticks out while rotation is, does it point up or does it point down. When we do "tip work" on a nose, we have to balance these to get a perfect result, which is easier said then done. 

There are many many options for "de-projecting" a tip but one thing you need to consider is the persons overall facial symmetry.  One of the biggest mistakes when people look at a nose is to only focus on the nose, often times a persons nose isn't too long, its that their chin is to short. I am not saying that is the case in you, but just another of the many factors we need to balance. I digress.

So, for someone like yourself, if you are only interested in De-projection, common methods include things like Full-transfixtion incisions, vertical dome division and medial/lateral crural overlay techniques. That is alot of medical talk, but I put them there so you could read up or search them.  

The other question is the width of your nose (especially at the tip and dorsum - between your eyes). Those two things are somewhat more easily corrected by a trained surgeon. It would involve two basic things. One would be cutting the bone so the upper part of the nose can be narrowed. The second would be trimming the tip slightly to narrow it and then using sutures to keep it together. 

Its always difficult looking at pictures but I think I would have a general plan for you based on those two photos. However, ideally you should see a FRCPC or Board Certified surgeon and have them take the full set of professional photo's and sit down and give you options. 

The width of the nose can be reduced and the nose can be deprojected with rhinoplasty. I would recommend an in-person consult with a board certified and experienced rhinoplasty specialist. He or she may use computer imaging software to morph a photo of you, which will give you an idea of how the final result of surgery may appear. This also serves as a great communication tool between you and your prospective surgeon. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

All of these alterations can be made, and the tip can be deprojected to reduce the length in the profile. 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