Dr. Menachof, MD, FACS has performed thousands of facial plastic surgery procedures in over 20 years of experience. He has been recognized as a Fellow by multiple academies, named one of America’s Top Facial Plastic Surgeons continually since 2003 and is featured in multiple national publications.
Does your wide nose bother you? A nose can have a wide appearance for a number of reasons. For many people, lack of nasal bridge height causes the nose to look wider. This is often genetic meaning it has been a person’s natural nose shape since birth. In other cases, an accidental injury or prior nose job may have caused the nose to take on a wider appearance.
Whether you’re considering rhinoplasty for the first time or looking for a revision surgery, a nose job is the best way to make a wide nose more narrow.
How To Fix a Wide Nose
The nasal bone forms a pyramid structure at the top of the nose that can be restructured during a rhinoplasty. This bony nasal pyramid determines the overall shape of the nose. In order to change the shape of the nose and give it a thinner appearance, the pyramid structure must be fractured into smaller, movable pieces. A nose job for wide noses is most commonly conducted using an osteotomy procedure to narrow the nasal bridge. During an osteotomy, the surgeon makes small, precise fractures on the upper nasal bones to thin the nose.
What is a Wide Nose Rhinoplasty?
Types of Rhinoplasties for Wide Noses
There are two common types of nasal osteotomies: medial and lateral. Many wide nose rhinoplasties use both types of osteotomies in order to create an overall thinner appearance in the nose bridge. Medial osteotomies focus on creating small fractures in the middle portion of the top of the nose, while lateral osteotomies break up the longer, outer sections of the septum nasal bone.
Once the fractures are made, the rhinoplasty surgeon is able to reshape the nose by moving the pieces closer together to create a narrower nasal structure. While osteotomy sounds rather intense, keep in mind that the surgeon will make very small, precise breaks in the nasal bones. If you have an experienced surgeon performing your rhinoplasty, there is no need to worry about osteotomy.
Narrowing a Wide Bulbous Nose or Nose Tip
In some cases, the nose may also be too wide at the tip. A wide or bulbous nose or nasal tip can be treated very successfully with rhinoplasty. Thinning the nasal tip or narrowing the nostrils can improve the nose appearance. There may be additional maneuvers required for your specific wide nose, so be sure to have a detailed conversation with your surgeon before moving ahead with the nose job.
Recovery after a Wide Nose Rhinoplasty
The recovery process after rhinoplasty may depend on the specific procedures needed to correct your wide nose. A nasal cast will very likely be required to ensure proper healing. The cast can typically be removed in less than a week. At this point, the surgeon will likely prescribe nasal exercises in order to encourage continued healing. It can take up to eight weeks for the newly positioned nasal bones to heal securely. During this time, it is extremely important to stay committed to the prescribed nasal exercises and steer clear of any activities that may strain the nose.
In the post-operative stage, it is important to remain in close contact with your surgeon to prevent any healing complication. The post-operative recovery strategy is another essential aspect to research and ask about before choosing a surgeon. It’s a good sign if the surgeon has a detailed plan that includes post-operative checkups on a regular basis. If the surgeon seems to lack a sense of individual care for the post-operative stage, it may be in your best interest to look elsewhere.
Before and After Rhinoplasty for Wide Noses
Before choosing a surgeon to perform the rhinoplasty on your wide nose, make sure to do your research and ensure that the surgeon has experience performing nose jobs on wide noses. An easy way to do this is looking through before and after photos, which can typically be done on the surgeon’s website. Peruse through the photos and find before and after images of rhinoplasty performed on wide noses. If you like what you see, consult the surgeon and ask about their experience and strategy with nasal thinning surgeries. You can always contact the surgeon’s office and ask to see some additional examples.
It is also important to research and read the surgeon’s reviews. These can typically provide a good feel for the surgeon’s work, and you may find comments specifically related to nose jobs for wide noses. Before facial surgery, it’s always a good idea to do your homework. Make sure you’re informed about the options and process of a nose thinning surgery. Talk to your surgeon to determine if a nose job to narrow your wide nose is right for you!
This blog was originally posted in September 2018 and has been reposted in 2020 with updated information.
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A Nose Job Failure: Revision Rhinoplasty
How young is too young for a rhinoplasty?
