Can my wide ethnic nose be made smaller. What changes would you suggest?

Hi there,

 

I think you can gain significant improvement in your large,
ethnic nose.  But I want to caution you
that the goal would be improvement, not perfection.  Given the thickness of your skin (a common
issue with Ethnic Rhinoplasty), I don’t think a dramatically smaller nose will
be achievable, nor do I think it would be desirable in your case.  I would worry that making your nose too small
would not be harmonious with the rest of your face, and this would leave you
with an unnatural appearance.

 

To improve your nose, I would perform the following: tip
refinement with cartilage grafting for increased tip definition and support;
wide lateral osteotomies for narrowing of the width of the nose; dorsal
augmentation (either using your own cartilage or a Gortex graft) in order to
build up the dorsum, which will also give the nose a more narrowed result; alar
base (nostril) narrowing; and, conservative thinning of the overlying nasal
skin and soft tissue to further enhance tip refinement.  I would likely perform this through an open
approach, though an endonasal rhinoplasty could achieve the same result.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Dr. Alexander

It is possible to narrow the bride of your nose and reduce your bulbous tip. The only area that cannot be altered is the thickness of your normal nasal skin. For that reason, the skin must conform to the new shape if you undergo a rhinoplasty. Specific techniques might include harvesting some of your septum to strengthen and narrow the tip almost like a tent pole. Also, the bones would need to be pushed closer together. Finally, it is likely you would need your nostrils narrowed some at the base to bring them in some as well. Good luck in your area. I would see a facial plastic surgeon with rhinoplasty experience. I saw that you were in Mississippi. There is a very good surgeon in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Randall Jordan. Good luck in lyou area.

It is certainly possible to make your bulbous tip and bridge slimmer, and narrower, but the degree of change will be limited by the thickness of your skin.  Meaning, a "dramatic small" nose may not be possible, while a dramatically smaller nose is possible.  Dorsal augmentation, tip refinement and alar base modification would help to slim and refine your nose overall.  

I think your nose can be improved substantially with a closed rhinoplasty.Find a board certified plastic surgeon 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

your nose can definitely be refined with additional definition added to the tip.  You can also make the bridge and nostrils less wide.  A completely smaller nose is not possible but the changes I suggested done together will make a major difference

Hello there,Your nose and nasal tip can definitely be made narrower and smaller!  The tip cartilages need to be repositioned, the soft tissue over the tip needs to be debulked, the alar base (side of the nostrils) can be narrowed, and the bridge of the nose can be narrowed.  It is best to contact a facial plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with rhinoplasty and "ethnic" rhinoplasty, as you will need an experienced surgeon to ensure a very good result.  I hope this was helpful to you, and best of luck!

There are some significant changes that can be made to your nose to make it appear somewhat smaller, but to say that you can have a dramatically smaller nose is not a realistic goal. Your nose skin is too thick for that to be possible. Computer imaging would need to be done to show you what type of realistic change can occur from rhinoplasty surgery.

Thick skin be an impediment to seeing significant refinement in this nose. Lateral osteotomies of the nasal bones can  narrow the Wide nasal bones. An alar plasty can be  performed to narrow the wide nostrils. Depending upon the height of the bridge, a cartilaginous dorsal augmentation can be performed to give height to the bridge which also gives a more narrow appearance to the nasal bones.

Hi,To refine your nose would require a combination of narrowing your bridge, reshaping and defatting your tip cartilage and narrowing your  nostrils. Make sure you choose a surgeon with lots of experience in ethnic rhinoplasty as ethnic rhinoplasty is the most challanging procedures in plastic surgery.Best,Dr.S.

Dear Jayjay42, Yes you would be an excellent candidate for ethnic rhinoplasty. When dealing with different ethnicities it is important to make the nose look natural and fitting to your facial aesthetics. You can reduce the bulbous tip and thin the nose to have a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. I have a lot of experience in ethnic rhinoplasty and as a surgeon you take all of the factors in when consulting with the patient. This includes skin thickness and facial aesthetics. All of these concerns would be addressed during consultation and a digital imaging would be helpful to show you the proposed surgical results with keeping all of these factors in mind. Consult with a surgeon with expertise in rhinoplasty and ethnic rhinoplasty and review the surgeons before and after photographs. He/she will be able to discuss your desired results and any limitations to attaining those. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.