Ethnic rhinoplasty is a form of rhinoplasty that is used to produce a more aesthetically appealing nose shape while keeping the ethnic characteristics that make each ethnic group special. In the 1980s and 1990s, the majority of rhinoplasty procedures were based on the European nose shape, which was unsuitable for Asian, African-American, and Middle Eastern people with respect to establishing a harmonized facial appearance. Rather than making a universal (uniform) nose shape, modern advanced rhinoplasty aims for individual beauty that incorporates our ancestors’ heritage and improves natural features. Patients have recently shown a wish to have plastic surgery that will complement their facial appearance by keeping in account individualized human proportions rather than simply a general cookie-cutter rhinoplasty.
Why it is different?
Each ethnic group has distinctive characteristics with regard to skin, tissue, cartilage, and bone. It is important to find an experienced surgeon who has a wide variety of experience in performing rhinoplasties for different ethnic groups. In general, Asians and African Americans tend to have poor tip projection, thick skin, a “potato” nose, and a weak nasal septum. These groups of people need a surgeon who will “build” the nasal structure using septal or costal cartilage, which is fundamentally different from the rhinoplasty that people of the Western European and Middle Eastern type need. The Western European and Middle Eastern types of people seeking a rhinoplasty most often have large septal cartilage, an excessive projection of the nose, a drooping tip, or a hump on the nose.
Do you need it?
Ethnic rhinoplasty may be the right choice for you if you are a non-European man or woman and want to improve the size or shape of your nose. Specific issues often raised in relation to ethnic rhinoplasty include:
- round, bulbous tip of the nose
- too high, too low, or with a humped nose
- too wide or too narrow a nose
- disproportionately wide or flared nostrils
- insufficient relief
- asymmetrical shape or size
In most cases, patients who want to undergo this procedure want to correct deficiencies without losing their ethnicity. At Nova Rhinoplasty, Dr. Alidad Arabshahi understands that not everyone is the same size and shape when it comes to reshaping the nose. Instead of giving you the generalized and stereotyped “most beautiful” African American, Asian, etc. nose, he will focus on creating the most attractive nose for your specific facial features and overall appearance. He knows that the “best” nose is the one that doesn’t distract attention from your eyes and overall facial harmony.
Techniques
Ethnic rhinoplasty is a type of intervention that requires knowledge and skill in these various techniques, also used in secondary or otherwise called revision rhinoplasty:
- Closed rhinoplasty
- Open way of access (open rhinoplasty)
- Bone or cartilage implants
- Removal of fat from skin tissue
- Performing resections of the base of the wings of the nose: the size and width of the nostrils can be reduced, a surgical cut is located at the base of the wings of the nose
- Suturing and modeling of nasal tip cartilage
Aesthetically balanced nose surgery must take into account the characteristics inherent in each ethnic group since they require the use of various rhinoplasty techniques if we want to achieve not only clinically effective, but also natural looking, results.
References
Babak Azizzadeh, MD, What is ethnic rhinoplasty?
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