Your nose is the most prominent feature on your face, and its shape affects your overall appearance. Unlike other features on the body that elicit either positive or negative responses when visualized, most noses are only noticed for negative reasons… like too wide, too long, or pronounced hump or bump.
Noses are meant to disappear into the face. That’s why when I perform nose surgery (rhinoplasty), I try to create a nose that conforms to the balance and proportions of the face so nothing stands out. Our brains unconsciously understand aesthetic proportions and whether something is pleasing and conforming, or is bothersome and stands out.
This means that a nose that is fantastic on one face can be a disaster on another. One nose doesn’t fit all — we must build noses that are designed specifically for an individual’s proportions and facial structure.
While most nose patients have aesthetic concerns, some also have functional concerns. This typically involves crookedness, weakness or poor shape of some structures that cause obstruction or restriction of air movement. These problems are addressed at the same time during the procedure. We can both make the function and aesthetics better simultaneously.
Successful rhinoplasty surgery results from three important steps: 1. The surgeon must first evaluate exactly what the problem is, and which structural aspects of the nose need to be addressed; 2. Next the surgeon must be able to visualize the right nose for a particular patient’s face and conceive the most appropriate surgical plan; 3. Lastly, the surgeon must be able to execute that plan both technically and artistically.
Noses are considered difficult cases and many plastic surgeons will not do them. I am often referred and perform revisional rhinoplasty. Almost always, a revisional surgery is done because at least one of the three crucial steps was off target.
So what’s the perfect nose? There isn’t a single one. There are many…one for each person and face! The best way to determine if you are a good candidate for nose surgery is to schedule an in-person or virtual consultation where the procedure is explained, and all of your questions answered. If you are interested in learning more about rhinoplasty or other cosmetic procedures, please contact my office at 925.736.5757.
By Stephen J Ronan, MD, Blackhawk Plastic Surgery, Resident Since 2007
