07 Apr A Quick Study on Nose Refinement
One of the most frequent complaints posed by the average person to a cosmetologist is that their nose simply looks horrible. Either the tip of the nose is too thick and bulbous, or simply too wide and spread out. Majority of patients that stumble into a cosmetology clinic often commiserate about the shape of their nose, and prefer a more refined and thinner nasal bridge and tip reminiscent of a Hollywood actor or model. Another common complaint is the awkward slope or slant of the nose bridge from the result of previous trauma, which often gives the patient a hump-like or bumpy nose bridge.
Despite all the risks, medical technology has advanced to the point that something as small as 
the nose tip can be tweaked to give the patient a more refined appearance. Although the nose tip is one of the smallest surface areas of the body, it is one of the most anatomically challenging areas to trifle with. The angulation to the lip below and nose bridge above has made the nose tip a delicate area to correct, since it can impact the overall appearance of the patient.
However, advanced nasal refinement techniques have allowed alteration of the tip of the nose – also dubbed as rhinoplasty – to be conducted under a relatively safe medical environment. A complete or partial rhinoplasty may be carried out, depending on the patient’s request and doctor’s insight. The operation by itself consists of miscellaneous surgical procedures that aim to alter the angle, height or even size of the nasal tip. In some instances, a few sutures would suffice, but in others, the nasal cartilage might need to be removed in order to accommodate a more complex reshaping procedure. The final result is bound to the thickness of the skin overlying the nose however, but other than that, various nose tip reshaping procedures can be committed.
From an anatomical perspective, a rhinoplasty involving the nose tip alters the relationship between the upper lateral cartilages and lower lateral alar cartilages of the nasal septum. Besides this, the size and junction of the lower alar cartilages is altered as well. There are myriads of surgical techniques that help to support, narrow and rotate the nasal tip such as cephalic trimming, columellar strut grafting, tip cartilage grafting, caudal septal reduction and dome suturing. The convergence of these methods denote tip rhinoplasty as one of the most complex procedures to perform when it comes to nasal reshaping.
Thus, whenever a patient requests a mild adjustment or tweak, they often refer to either refining or lifting their nose tip, or even a combination of both. It is crucial not to over-tweak a nose however, since this will give the nose an artificial and operated look – a look that patients are most certainly keen to avoid.
If you are thinking about undergoing nose surgery, click here to learn more about an experienced board-certified rhinoplasty surgeon that can help you!