beautyprocedure
WAITING TO EXHALE
Why hundreds of thousands of women with a nose for beauty are opting for rhinoplasty.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GET T Y IMAGES
By Catherine Winters
ou can’t not notice a person’s nose. Made up of bone and cartilage, it’s smack in the middle of the face for all the world to see. Lots of people are lucky to have a nose that’s just right, but plenty of people hate their noses, viewing that front-and-center feature as too big, too bumpy, or too crooked. Whether the flaw is truly attentiongrabbing or barely noticeable, it’s enough to affect the selfesteem of the most sound of ego. (Jennifer Grey, anyone?) That may be why some 217,000 people in the U.S. chose a nose full of change last year, making rhinoplasty the second most popular cosmetic surgical procedure after breast augmentation, according to the American Society of
Plastic Surgeons. And though some of us may associate nose jobs with teenagers of angst and privilege, more and more grown women are having them. In 2014, nearly 68,000 women age 35 and older opted for rhinoplasty; of these, 16,712 were between 51 and 64 and more than 8,800 were 65 and older, reports the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Why the surge in popularity? “With more discretionary income, these people can now take care of something that has bothered them for much of their lives,” says Los Angeles plastic surgeon Brent Moelleken, M.D., a member of the ASAPS. The passage of time is also a factor. As we age, our face loses its natural fullness as fat cells melt away and nose cartilage becomes
more obvious. “Now the nose that once was a normal size seems huge and bony,” adds Dr. Moelleken. Other reasons: Some people may be unhappy with the nose job they had years before or can’t breathe well and want to combine surgery for, say, a deviated septum with a little nose tweaking in the mix.
surgical procedure employed to correct a deviated septum, an off-center locale of the thin wall of bone and cartilage that separate your nostrils, which can affect ease in breathing and sinus drainage. The turbinates—long, curved, spongy bones inside the nose that warm and moisturize the air we
Rhinoplasty can transform a nose, fine-tuning this focal point to personal perfection. BEAK TWEAKS ➜ It’s inarguable: Rhinoplasty can transform a nose, fine-tuning
this focal point to personal perfection. “[It] can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the shape of the tip or bridge, narrow the span of your nostrils, or change the angle between your nose and upper lip,” offers Dr. Moelleken. Along with rhinoplasty, there might be some corrections other than aesthetic when opting to put your nose under the knife. Some people may also have a septoplasty, the
breathe and direct air flow to the lungs—can become downright turbulent, enlarging and blocking air flow instead of aiding it. These might require surgical help as well. Non-surgical rhinoplasty, which involves injecting fillers into the nose, is an option for people whose issues are purely aesthetic. “It completely changes a person’s nose,” says Los Angeles cosmetic surgeon Alexander Rivkin, M.D., who pioneered the procedure. “I can camouflage a bump, lift the bridge of the nose,
straighten a nose that’s a little crooked, and even lift the tip.”
HOW IT’S DONE ➜ Traditional rhinoplasty is typically done under general anesthesia. The
surgeon makes tiny incisions at the bottom of the nose, inside the nostrils, and uses an endoscope for guidance. What is ultimately done during surgery, however, depends upon your goals entirely. Your surgeon may file or break bone to reposition the nose, or remove or add extra cartilage. For example, to scale down a full tip, the surgeon will remove cartilage, or may restore fullness to a droopy tip with a cartilage graft from the septum, ear, or rib. To narrow a wide nose, a surgeon may break bones and move them toward the center of the nose. To remove a bump, bones may be filed down and cartilage trimmed. During septoplasty, the surgeon straightens and repositions the septum. If turbinates are the issue, they may be cut or cauterized to decrease their size. How long will you be under the knife or needle? Rhinoplasty can take one to five hours or more, says Dr. NEWYOU.COM
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5/27/14
