Hooray for the hooters

If you want a cuter nose, a straighter nose, a stronger nose or a smaller looking nose (!) it’s all possible with the careful use of Botox and fillers. For those considering surgery and wanting to experiment before taking the plunge, or scared of going under the knife at all, the non-surgical nose job is a fantastic option. Minimum spend, minimum downtime and maximum impact.

 

I’ve seen some incredible surgical nose jobs throughout my cosmetic career. Ones where they are so beautifully done, they are imperceptible, and they suit the individual’s face perfectly. I’ve also seen some more obvious, generic numbers from across the globe that patients regret having ever undertaken.

 

Whatever the case, a non-surgical rhinoplasty (nose job using filler and Botox) is an excellent way to test the water before going down the surgical route. Or indeed tweak minor defects and/or beautify your nose if the surgical path isn’t for you.

 

Often a surgical nose job may be a two-part operation, with separate surgeries, approximately 12 months apart. There’s also the element of general anaesthetic and expense. From papers I’ve read, and anecdotally from patients who’ve had nose surgery, swelling can take its sweet time to clear completely and for everything to finally settle.

 

It is these factors – the relative ease, inexpense and vastly reduced downtime of a nose filler procedure – that have contributed to a steep rise in non-surgical nose jobs.

 

Dorsal humps, asymmetry or drooping tips may all be softened and corrected with the careful use of filler and Botox. Some indications cannot be treated non-surgically, if somebody has a particularly wide nose, for example.

 

For women the ultimate point of light bounce is called the “radix point”. This is in line with where your lashes fall when looking straight ahead. Again, it cannot be a one size fits all, general jabbing. In some cases, a shadow at this point actually helps an overly elongated nose look shorter.

 

For people who have a slight fattening of the brow from a hefty use of Botox over the decades, it can tighten and subtly lift a nasal bridge that has become a little flattened.

 

I find a non-surgical nose job is one of the most effective treatments going and have often had patients comment that is their favourite element of their filler treatments. In cases where people have been unhappy with their noses for a long time, it can be life changing.

 

Lovely as this is, you have to bear in mind that the nose is an area of intricate anatomy and one that must be carried out with the utmost respect, care and delicacy of hand.  The number of arterial branches, for example, is immense. When I’ve caught the odd YouTube video of fast paced needle work I’ve winced, thinking, you really don’t know what you’re messing with here.

 

It takes planning, time and consideration. To be safe, a cannula should be used when dealing with the lower and upper cartilage of the nose, under the comfort of local anaesthesia.

 

At the radix point/nasal bridge the cartilage becomes skin and, therefore, too thin for the cannula. Here a needle must be used, feeling for and compressing the vessels before injecting micro amounts of filler, always checking, checking, checking for safety and attractive aesthetic result.