Best angles to evaluate the results in rhinoplasty before and after photos?

Thank you for your question. In general, usually the biggest differences will be noticed on the profile image, which is why it's used so often. Ideally there should a frontal, oblique, and worm's eye views as well.

Hi, Thank you for your inquiry. What I find with side pictures is that oftentimes patients are looking for subtle changes mostly to the height of their nose or a more defined tip which is not as easy to see from the frontal view.

The most dramatic before and after views are side views. Front views are not very helpful because they only show two dimensions and lack. I would not read anything at all into this regarding the surgeon's skills

Some people are bothered by their profile nasal appearances, but rhinoplasty definitely affects everyone’s nasal appearance on front view and oblique view as well. We think frontal, oblique and profile photos are necessary for evaluation of a cosmetic outcome after rhinoplasty. Thank you! Dr Joseph

Great question. Whenever there is a change to the nose, there are changes that are seen in different angles as compared to prior to an operation in how the skin appears, nasal tip appears. Having several views is key to understanding the procedure beforehand..

Why a surgeon only posts side views of some patients: for many patients the main change that occurs during a rhinoplasty affects the profile. Most rhinoplasty‘s are performed on patients with dorsal humps, long noses, drooping tips, over projecting noses, etc. These changes are seen in the profile. In many cases 90% of the change that occurs during a rhinoplasty is visible in the profile and only minimal change occurs in the front view. That is the main reason why some patients are only shown in profile rather than front view. The second reason is that the tip which is mainly seen in the front view often takes a year or more to reach its final form. Most patients, particularly those who are satisfied with their surgery do not return for long-term follow up. The surgeon therefore may only have photos taken at two or three months after surgery at which time the tip has not yet achieved its final form. Those are the two main reasons, but there is always a possibility that there are imperfections in the front view of a particular patient that the surgeon does not wish to show.

In showing post-operative photos, especially in a before-and-after comparison, it is important to see the nose from different angles. This can be demonstrated with images from profile, 3/4 angle and frontal views. This can also be demonstrated by video. A surgeon's ability to show patient photographs and videos, and the extent of their facial identity shown, is completely dependent on the specifics of the written consent provided by the patient to the doctor. It is important to seek opinion from a Rhinoplasty expert, and to do 2-3 consultations with different surgeons before deciding on undergoing rhinoplasty.Best of luck!Giriraj Sharma, MD; Facial Plastic Surgery in Newport Beach, CA

The nose is a three dimensional structure, and rhinoplasty is performed in all three dimensions. Before and after photos from a surgeon's rhinoplasty photo gallery should demonstrate the side profiles, three-quarter profiles, and frontal views from all angles. Rhinoplasty is the most difficult operation to perform correctly in the entire field of cosmetic surgery, therefore choose your surgeon very wisely based on an extensive portfolio of before-and-after photographs from ALL angles