Rhinoplasty and the Aging Nose

As a child, I remember the joy of being at family events in the company of my much older relatives. I remember them bending down to hug me and have a mental snapshot of someone leaning down, nose first. At the time, I just thought it was because they were bending down to greet me and it wasn’t until much later that I discovered that some people’s noses naturally droop and that drooping was more common in older people.

The Aging Process

The aging process affects all of the parts of our body. We can lose the natural thickness of our skin and also its underlying attachments leading to skin laxity. There is also a generally a loss of youthful fat with time and even our bones tend to lose volume. The nose itself can change shape. With age, the nose can appear larger (as the face becomes smaller) and become more prominent. There can also be nasal drooping which, aesthetically, makes the nose look longer than it actually is.

Nasal Drooping can also Occur When We are Young

The nose can also appear to droop in youth, and again, this can become bothersome to patients because it makes the nose look longer than it really is. The appearance of drooping can also bring out certain emotions and make patients seem angry or serious. Rhinoplasty surgery (nose jobs) are directed toward raising the tip to a certain position so as to create beauty but the emphasis, with today’s modern techniques is to only raise the tip to the point which creates harmony but doesn’t have too much show of the nostril.

Upward rotation of the tip is also done as part of a balanced nose shaping to shorten the longer nose. The longer nose is long and so may require shortening but shortening of the nose can also help as it makes the nose smaller, and since most patients who come for nose shaping surgery complain that their nose is too big, a certain amount of shortening can help achieve that goal.

False Drooping of the Nose

Some patients may appear to have a long nose with drooping but when you look on side view, the tip is in already good position. Facial Plastic Surgeons define this good position as at least a 90 degree angle between the upper lip and the tip on side view.

Some patients may have other parts of the nose that give the aesthetic appearance that the tip is drooping, even thought there is no actual drooping. This is especially common when patients have larger bump on the bridge of their nose. The curve of the bump makes it look like the tip is drooping when, in fact it might not be.

There are also some nostril and tip shapes that can also make it appear that a nose is drooping. Attention to these details, and their improvement can alleviate the appearance of drooping.

Rhinoplasty Cost

Rhinoplasty cost varies based on the nature of the surgery and whether the surgery is performed closed (all incisions on the inside) or with open rhinoplasty, where the skin is lifted to gain a better view of the tip for more complicated nasal problems.

Healing After Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty recovery is usually quick. The nose is a very small part of the body and thus, pain is generally quite minimal. Patients wear a small splint on the nose for six days and there is usually minimal swelling.

The Gift of Rhinoplasty

One of the most interesting aspects of nasal surgery is that, despite the surgery only being performed on the nose, there is a change to the entire face. How this happens has defied Plastic Surgeons over the years in terms of its explanation. It might be because one is no longer drawn to a larger nose but now sees the other beautiful parts of the face such as the lips, the eyes and the overall shape of the nose.

As with all cosmetic surgery, it’s a good idea to obtain the guidance of an experienced Facial Plastic Surgeon so you can work toward the beautiful nose you deserve!