Everyone has a unique nose shape whether it’s long, short, hook-like, round, or wide. While some are comfortable with their noses the way they are, there are others who feel like their noses aren’t the right fit for their face.
For those people, rhinoplasty (or a nose job) can help to fix common nose shapes and make you more confident with what you have. But before making an appointment with your skilled surgeon of choice be sure to get informed about all the types of desirable results out there.
In this article, I’m going to discuss the common nose shapes that can be improved through rhinoplasty and provide advice on how to choose a reputable or board-certified plastic surgeon for your procedure.
Shaving Down a Hump
One of the most popular forms of rhinoplasty is the shaving down of a hump. This type of procedure is typically performed on people who have a prominent bump on the bridge of their nose that extends from the forehead to the tip. The hump can cause shadows that affect the overall appearance of the face.
By shaving down a hump, your cosmetic surgeon will be able to mold your nose to create an aesthetically pleasing shape with improved facial symmetry. They will also remove excess cartilage and/or bone tissue, allowing for more support and stability without any need for filler materials or implants. The end result will be a smoother nasal bridge profile and decreased nasal projection, making your nose appear more proportional and achieving facial balance.
Pinched Nose
A pinched nose is a common shape that rhinoplasty surgeons can address. This type of nose has a small bridge and tip, with the sides curving inward slightly. Since the bridge is really narrow, the bridge may look bumpy or appear to come to an abrupt halt at the top of your nose. It may also have a flattened tip and wide nostrils.
The most popular rhinoplasty techniques used to fix this type of nose are widening the bridge, reducing any bumps or irregularities on the bridge, making the sides less pointed, and augmenting the tip if necessary. The surgeon can also reduce the width of the nostrils by narrowing them if desired.
After these surgeries, patients often find their noses are more proportional to their faces. The bridge appears wider so it looks smoother and transitions better into the rest of their facial contours. After rhinoplasty for a pinched nose, people will experience improved confidence in their appearance as well as increased self-esteem from having addressed such an obvious feature defect.
Boxy Tip
The boxy tip is a common issue that can be corrected with rhinoplasty. People with this type of nose shape will usually have a low, wide nasal bridge and the end of the nose will have a flat-looking look to it. In order to give the nose a more defined profile, surgeons will typically use grafts to build up the nose and make it more symmetrical.
For boxy tip rhinoplasty, doctors may insert either cartilage or silicone implants into the existing tissue on the end of the nose. This can provide structure and support while helping to give the person’s nose a rounder, more attractive look than it may have had before receiving surgery.
In addition to correcting a boxy tip, rhinoplasty may also be used to reduce the size of nostrils or smooth out bumps or indentations for people who want to improve their overall facial symmetry.
Bulbous Tip
Rhinoplasty can be used to decrease the size of a bulbous tip on the nose, giving it a refined, more elegant look. There are many different techniques for minimizing a bulbous tip such as suture placement, tip grafts, and trimming of the cartilage.
The suture technique involves placing stitches at the junction between the lower lateral cartilage and the top of the nasal septum. This helps reduce the circumference of the nose tip, making it look smaller and more shapely. Tip grafts can also be used to contour an overly wide nose while trimming the cartilage can give an attractive and balanced appearance to an overly large nasal tip.
It’s important to note that not all noses will respond to rhinoplasty in quite the same way. Before undergoing this procedure, speak with an experienced plastic surgeon about what results you would like from surgery and make sure they understand exactly what you want.
Plunging Tip
A plunging tip, also known as the “ski-slope nose”, has a nose that looks like it slopes down towards the end of the nose. This type of nose shape could be due to an upturned or weakly defined nasal tip. To fix this, rhinoplasty can be done to prop up the nasal tip and give it more stability.
The most common way to do this is through cartilage grafting, where pieces of cartilage are taken from other areas in your body (usually from your ear) and grafted into the tip of your nose. The graft will give additional support and structure, propping up the sloping tip and creating a straighter appearance. Your surgeon may also perform suturing techniques to keep everything in place while it heals.
After healing, you’ll have a completely different look with a perfectly straightened and nicely shaped nasal bridge!
Hanging Columella
A hanging columella is one of the most common nasal deformities that rhinoplasty can treat. It is characterized by a downward-pointing, curved or drooping nasal tip. It occurs when the cartilage or bone in the middle of the nose (the septum) does not straighten to form a straight line from the bridge to the tip and instead hangs down like a reverse ‘C’.
Rhinoplasty surgery can help fix this type of deformity by repositioning and reshaping the soft palate and tissue in order to prevent it from falling inward so that it remains in an aesthetically pleasing position. The surgeon will also adjust the septal cartilage as necessary, adding strength and supporting structure to help keep it up. In addition, they may use sutures to keep everything in place until it fully heals after surgery.
With this type of procedure, patients typically report improved breathing through their nostrils as well as a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Rhinoplasty can be an effective solution for people who have a hanging columella and want to gain more confidence with their facial appearance.
Widened Nose
Narrowing a widened nose is one of the most common and popular types of rhinoplasty. This procedure can make a significant impact on the overall appearance of a person’s face.
With this surgery, the nasal bones are narrowed by trimming them down, or by removing some excess tissue and cartilage. This reshapes the nose and makes it appear more in proportion with the rest of the face. It also gives the bridge of the nose a more refined appearance, making it narrower and eliminating any unsightly bumps or divots along its length.
For optimal results, patients should speak to an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon to discuss their desired goals for their new shape. With modern technology and techniques, narrowing a widened nose can be performed quickly and safely, giving patients long-lasting results that they’ll love.