The nose is the center of a person's face, and therefore it acts as the most prominent attention-grabber when people look at you. A beautifully shaped nose can help create overall facial harmony and better appearance for a person, as well as change the entire look of the face. Unfortunately, some people, especially Asian people, are born with flat nose. But still fortunately, they do not necessarily have to get stuck with it for life.



Rhinoplasty, also commonly known as a "nose job", has been introduced more than a hundred years ago. Rhinoplasty is a nose-reshaping surgery that helps correct deformities or makes subtle aesthetic changes for cosmetic purposes. In most cases of rhinoplasty performed on Asian patients, the bridge of the nose is raised and narrowed and the nasal width at the nose-cheek junction narrowed. It is precise surgery in which the margin of error is measured in millimeters, thus the surgeon must have a full knowledge of nasal anatomy and the basic principle of surgical procedures.

The most common nasal augmentation rhinoplasty is by inserting fabricated silicone implant which comes in three textures: hard medium and soft. The silicone for the nose is the solid silicone with Hydroxyapatite which is the artificial bone to help adherence to the natural bone. Incisions are made inside the nostrils. In some cases, the surgeon may shape a small piece of the patient's own cartilage or bone to strengthen or increase the structure of the nose.

There are two major ways to perform a rhinoplasty: the closed and the open techniques. The open technique includes an incision across the colummella, the small skin between the two nostrils. One major advantage of this technique is the ability to completely visualize the internal structures of the nose, and place sutures precisely where they may be required. With this type of rhinoplasty, the swelling takes significantly longer to subside and some of the tissues may be unnecessarily disrupted. The scar is most often quite small and fades rapidly. The closed technique does not require an external incision, heals more quickly and does not disturb the tissues as much as the open technique.

Rhinoplasty should wait until after the teenage growth period that occurs in the mid-teens. This growth period normally occurs from ages 14 to 15 for girls and somewhat later for boys and your nose is generally fully developed by the age of 16. Once you are done with the growth spurt of puberty - which is when you stop getting taller - it is fine to have a rhinoplasty.

Rhinoplasty can be performed as a day case, which means that you can have the operation and go home the same day. Pain, bruises and some swellings are expected after the procedure and there might be some minor bleeding for a day or two. Alloplastic synthetic materials are sometimes associated with long-term complications such as migration and extrusion. The swelling, which will reside mostly around the eyes and the nose itself, will be very noticeable at first, but will begin to subside around the third day and should be largely gone within two weeks. Some minor swelling will remain for up to six months afterwards, and the final, long-term rhinoplasty results can be evaluated and enjoyed about a year after the surgery.