Rhinoplasty, colloquially referred to as “a nose job,” is a surgical procedure designed to create facial harmony by proportioning and shaping the nose so that it is in balance with the other features. The surgery can also be performed to correct structural defects in the nose that interfere with breathing, eating, or sleeping.

Seeking Symmetry and Balance:Aesthetic Reasons for Rhinoplasty

There are many aesthetic reasons that people desire to have rhinoplasty procedures. Rarely is the decision made lightly. For most patients, contemplating any surgery requires serious thought and research. For those who take steps to have their noses remolded, the rewards far outweigh any reservations.For some, their noses have always felt like somewhat inappropriate appendages. For others, their noses have developed, as they have grown, in seeming disproportion to their face. It is often in adolescence, when the nose has changed from its childhood dimensions, that patients begin to feel self-conscious about its appearance. In some cases, however, due to financial concerns or parental constraints, it is not until patients are adults, with their own money and their own decision-making capabilities, that they opt for the self-improvement they have previously been denied.It is not only the size of the nose that makes individuals consider rhinoplasty. The following nasal characteristics, which may be disturbing to patients, can also be altered with surgical procedures:

• Width of the bridge of the nose
• Size and position of the nostrils
• Excessive flaring or pinching of nostrils
• Visible bumps or depressions that affect the profile
• Nasal tip that is enlarged, bulbous, upturned, hooked or drooping
• Nose that appears abnormally crooked, off center, or asymmetrical
• Nose that appears to angle too much or too little relative to the upper lip

While noses can give the face a distinctive look, there are situations in which they draw attention away from lovely eyes, a facial expression, or even from meaningful spoken words. These are the situations in which patients seek relief from cosmetic discomfort.