What is the difference between minor and major rhinoplasty?

A rhinoplasty is a surgery on your face and as far as I am concerned, it is all major. However, major is relative. If your surgery is conducted by a surgeon who is an expert in nasal surgery then the chance of success is very high. In this case, you may be having a "major" surgery on your nose but with a low risk. The use of major and minor rhinoplasty may really be related to the extent of the surgery you are getting. Sometimes people just need a minor adjustment of the bone on their nose and this is often simpler for more experienced surgeons.  When complex adjustments are needed to the nasal tip, this is when the surgery becomes more complex. James P. Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSCJB Cosmetics and Facial Surgery Center of OttawaHead and Neck Surgerypracticing in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryAssistant Professor, University of OttawaOttawa, Ontario, Canada

Hi Lisa.  I am not sure if I would subdivide rhinoplasty into "major" versus "minor".  Rhinoplasty is arguably the most complex operation in all of facial plastic surgery.  The nose is the "center of the target" and is a unique combination of skin, soft tissue, cartilage and bone.  Hope this is helpful.  Good luck.

There is rhinoplasty and ........ well, rhinoplasty.Everything that is done to a nose must be analyzed in terms of what else it may do, either desirable or undesirable. Hence I would regard all rhinoplasty as "do what needs to be done". Some are longer, some are shorter. All need an absolute attention to form, function, stability. I hope this helps. 

A minor rhinoplasty would be something very simple such as rasping a very small hump down. A major rhinoplasty would include osteotomies, a tip rhinoplasty and cartilage grafting techniques

HiIt depends.  Some rhinoplasties are truly minor.  I have done 12 minute closed rhinoplasties with almost no down-time.  Most rhinoplasties are not minor even if the final result changes are subtle or minor.  The reality is Rhinoplasty is the most complex surgery in all of plastic surgery and even subtle changes to the nose may require some major work.  The important thing is to be honest with the patient.  Some surgeons use labels to make the surgery seem less threatening.  You see this all the time with facelifts.  Lifestyle lift, bandaid lift, quicklift, mini lift are all such terms used to describe a cheek lift but some sound much gentler than the term "cheek lift." 

Dear Lisaham,

The term “minor” and “major” rhinoplasty is rarely used to
describe cosmetic surgery of the nose. The
nose is a complex and dynamic interaction of the nasal bones and cartilages and
integration of the tip and the bridge with the nasofacial aesthetics is
paramount. However, most patients do
view a rhinoplasty as just my tip, or just my bridge bump and often this leads
the patient to believe there is a minor version of a cosmetic rhinoplasty or
just the bump or just the tip is adjusted.
Major rhinoplasty might then be viewed as a cosmetic procedure on the
nose for both the bridge, tip and other soft tissue changes in the nose are
required. To some extent this is true,
however, even a “minor” rhinoplasty can result in a “major” facial aesthetic
disharmony and unhappy patient were not performed well.

Rather than think of a rhinoplasty as minor and major, think
of any facial aesthetic transformation as a major decision and you’ll want to
seek out the expertise of a rhinoplasty surgeon with years of experience. Toronto has several very good rhinoplasty
surgeons. I have been performing
cosmetic rhinoplasty for over 20 years.
I have the fortune of having been trained in both plastic surgery and
ear, nose and throat, head and neck oncology. I have always deployed computer imaging when exploring rhinoplasty
options with a patient as I’m able to show the ranges of outcomes that can be
achieved very accurately allowing me to uncover realistic expectations with my
patients. Rhinoplasty is one of the most
pivotal facial plastic surgery procedures as it can often restore a very
significant nasofacial balance and harmony enhancing other areas of the face
that might be otherwise camouflaged or overpowered by a strong or asymmetric
nasal aesthetic architecture.

I think your next step is to visit two or three certified
plastic surgeons with extensive rhinoplasty experience and find the right
surgeon and surgical team that best appears to fit your aesthetic nasofacial
care needs.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

For more information, please review the link below.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto

My definition of minor surgery is surgery happening to someone else!  I think all rhinoplasties are major because there will be a permanent cosmetic change and even in the best of hands the outcome may not be what a patient expects.  Perhaps a better answer to your question is how much alteration is required to achieve your desired cosmetic result.  Obviously straightening a nasal fracture or reducing a small bony hump in an otherwise attractive nose is fairly simple with predictable results compared with a nose that requires adjustment of the bony and cartilage elements and simultaneously making sure that airflow and other nasal functions are preserved or improved.  Revision rhinoplasty can be particularly challenging.