How common is a nasal tip lift without grafts?

Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to provide feedback for you without seeing at least a few photos. I can tell you that tip refinement is handled using a variety of techniques, depending on the patient’s need, the amount of correction required and the desired outcome. Choose an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon for your rhinoplasty, since this is the most complex of all plastic surgery procedures. With the right amount of expertise and artistry, your surgeon can achieve a very satisfying result no matter what technique is used. 

Hello and thank you for your question. There are a variety of techniques that can achieve the same objective in rhinoplasty. Each technique has its own advantages, limitations, and consequences (desired and undesired). Choice of technique is based on patient's anatomy, goals, etc. 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

Hello and thank you for your question.  Nasal tip elevation usually involves a combination of cartilage modification, which includes trimming and suturing, and careful placement of cartilage grafts for tip enhancement and tip reinforcement.  Without any photographs to provide any further helpful advice, I would suggest you schedule a consultation to be evaluated in person with board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon.  In your rhinoplasty consultation, be sure your surgeon addresses all your aesthetic goals and concerns specifically, and discusses the surgery details including the position and size of the incisions used (with actual photographs and not just digital animations), the risks and benefits of the procedure, recovery time, and post-operative course.  Also, be sure to see plenty of before-and-after pictures in women who have a similar nose appearance to yours, and preferably at different time frames (3 weeks out, 3 months out, etc) to more accurately predict your own surgical outcome.  I think the most important component of the consultation is to establish a good connection with your plastic surgeon.  It’s the connection that allows you to clearly define your desired nose outcome goals, the first step of this whole process. If you don’t feel you have a good connection with your plastic surgeon after your consultation, he/she may not be the best surgeon for you.

For more information on rhinoplasty, please refer to the link below.

Good luck.

Mark K Markarian, MD, MSPH, FACS

Harvard-trained Board Certified Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

I’m not sure what lifting the tip means to you specifically. A tip graft is not always necessary. I’ve done over 500 noses without a tip graft. I can’t remember the last time I used one. I have taken out more grafts than I’ve put in because people hated them.  Sometimes a technique becomes popular and is overused. I would put tip grafts in that category.

Hello and thank you for your question.  In my patients, I always place a columellar strut graft for added tip support when elevating the nasal tip.  Strong cartilage support is needed in order to prevent recurrence of drooping.  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