The bottom tip is darker than the top after rhinoplasty, how to fix & what is the cost? (Photos)

Question

Left nostril is hard to breathe from. Bottom tip is darker than the top. Nose can be more straight and looking at side profile. How can this be fixed and what is the cost?

Steven M. Denenberg, MD · Answer

From the side view, the tip of your nose hangs lower than it needs to, so elevating the tip might be very nice. Then, the bridge is high just above the tip -- it looks as though there's extra cartilage to remove there. Those changes would give you a shorter, straighter profile.

From the front, the tip looks very wide, and almost disconnected from the rest of the nose. That's almost certainly because of the way the tip cartilages were handled in the first operation. The tip needs to be narrowed, and we'd have to see whether the bones at the top of the nose should be narrowed as well. All in all, you look to be a good candidate for a revision.

How *much* to elevate the tip, or adjust the bridge, or narrow the tip, or make other changes? We figure that out with morphs, well before surgery. I'd love for you to see some excellent professionally-designed morphs of what could possibly be done with your nose. Morphs could also help you identify better just what's bothering you, and help you set a goal for the rhinoplasty that's accurate for your tastes. Profile and three-quarter views would be particularly important in morphing your nose. (Side note: in my opinion, morphs should really be done by the surgeon, or he should direct an assistant as she makes the morphs. Morphs should be made with a constant eye to what actually *can* be done in surgery, for that particular nose, and the surgeon has that information and judgment best.)

Finally, remember that rhinoplasty is an exquisitely difficult operation to get right, and you should only have surgery if you are able to make yourself very confident in your surgeon's skills. The changes that your nose needs require advanced techniques, and skill that most plastic surgeons don't possess with expertise. It's much better to not have surgery than to have inexpertly-performed surgery. Read my essay on how to stay out of trouble while selecting a rhinoplasty surgeon. And it also discusses how to take photos that are best for online evaluations.

And for those who have had previous surgery, it also discusses how to tell whether your first surgeon should be performing your revision.

The bottom tip is darker than the top after rhinoplasty, how to fix & what is the cost? (Photos)

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Everything you need to know about Revision Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

The bottom tip is darker than the top after rhinoplasty, how to fix & what is the cost? (Photos)

Answers (1)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Revision Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.