What Makes A Natural Nose

“I want my rhinoplasty to look natural.” As a plastic surgeon, this is one of the most common requests that Dr. Rahban gets. Of course no patient is going to request a nose that looks fake, but the idea of request a natural looking rhinoplasty has some major issues. Let’s talk about what it really means for a nose job to look natural, and the reality of making a request of this nature.

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Dr. Rahban says that the biggest issue with asking for a natural-looking nose, is that ‘natural’ is completely subjective. There are thousands of beautiful men and women with very varied noses. When looking at this variety of nose shape, you would likely think that almost all of them look natural. But these noses also look very different. For example, Dr. Rahban points out, let’s think about a beautiful nose on a young lady from Atlanta, Georgia. What if you take that nose and photoshop it onto a middle eastern woman. Would it look as natural? Of course not. It would look the opposite of natural. So there is nothing about the nose itself that you can say is “a natural nose”.

All you can say is that it looks like the best nose for that person’s face, in your opinion. What are patients really asking for when they want a nose job that looks natural? Dr. Rahban says that the key is to perform the nose job that is right for that individual person. There truly is nothing that can be looked at as the perfect nose, or the most natural nose, or the gold standard of rhinoplasties. Everything about having the best rhinoplasty results, and the most natural looking nose, is in relation to you.

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How Do You Get the Most Natural Looking Nose Job?

The #1 most important decision you can make in seeking out the best rhinoplasty results, is to pick the right surgeon. This decision cannot be made based on training, awards, of years of experience alone. While factors like number of cases and quality of training can be important indicators, remember that a rhinoplasty is as much about art is it is about science. What does this mean for a patient? It means that the artistic eye of the surgeon is paramount to you getting a nose job that looks natural to you, and that you are happy with.

Picking a surgeon with an artistic eye that matches your own preferences involves looking at the surgeon’s gallery of before and after pictures. Do you see most of the rhinoplasties as results that you like?

If so, that’s a solid indicator that you and the surgeon are on the same page artistically. On the other hand, if you do not like a lot of that surgeon’s before/after shots, this is not the right surgeon for you. Regardless of whether that surgeon promises ‘the most natural nose you can imagine’ - do not have surgery with them based on this promise. If you do not like that surgeon’s artistic choices, then the ‘natural’ nose they are promising you, will not be what you want.

Remember that as we discussed, “natural” is a subjective term. You may hate a rhinoplasty that another surgeon says it’s the epitome of natural results.

How to Talk About a Nose Job

When you speak to a surgeon about a rhinoplasty, they may allow you to make requests like “I want a natural looking nose.” However, Dr. Rahban will not let patients speak in terms like this. He feels this type of language is a barrier to the patient getting the best results, because this language is subjective. If you ask for a natural nose, or a cute and feminine nose, you are risking a difference of opinion between you and your surgeon. Instead, Dr. Rahban will ask you questions and help you discuss what factors of your nose you want to improve. In creating a line of communication that is based in objective language, you and Dr. Rahban have the best chance of truly being on the same page about what kind of rhinoplasty results you can expect from having surgery with him.

Structurally Sound

When people think about what they want from a nose job, they naturally think about the esthetics. But what about the structure of the rhinoplasty? While it may seem that the foundation of the rhinoplasty is not an important esthetic consideration, it is. The reason is that if you have a rhinoplasty that looks great initially, but lacks the structure to last, you may quickly lose the positive changes you see in your nose. This leads to a nose that looks unnatural and is not flattering. If a rhinoplasty makes a nose smaller, but does not account for the importance in building an internal structure to well-support this new smaller nose, the nose starts to collapse. A good rhinoplasty should have long-term benefits. After all, is the surgery worth it to find out that a few years later you’re starting to see signs of collapse?

You’ve likely seen the telltale signs of a rhinoplasty that is not created in a structurally sound way. There are plenty of examples of celebrities who had ‘cute’ nose jobs performed, but now have pinched noses because of the lack of support of the new nasal structure.

When Dr. Rahban performs rhinoplasties, he ensures that he takes the time to create a strong, durable foundation for your improved nose. This work allows for a nose that can maintain its positive and natural look for years after the surgery.

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When Dr. Rahban does a consultation with a prospective patient, he wants it to be two things above all others: thorough and honest. He will find out from you just what you want from cosmetic surgery. And he will tell you honestly if you can get the result you want, and how he can best help you do so.

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Elements of a Natural Nose Job

The surgeon’s artistic perspective aligning with your view of your improved nose, is the most important factor in getting a rhinoplasty that looks ‘natural’. Let’s now cover some of the clinic elements of a rhinoplasty. Being comfortable with the objective terms that are used in discussing a nose job can help you communicate well with a potential surgeon, so you can have meaningful discussions about your desired results.

Facial dimensions

These measurements are the height and width of your face. These numbers help in the discussion of a rhinoplasty because the size of your nose is not important, except in relation to the rest of your face. Typically the nose should take up the middle third of your face when you look at your face height. When we look at the width of your face, the nose generally fills the middle fifth. Remember that these are the most broad of guidelines, and the most natural rhinoplasty for you will differ based on your gender, ethnicity, facial features, preferences, and other factors.

Naso-facial relationships

When we talk about relationships within the face, we’re talking about factors like the size of one feature relative to the size of another feature. We’re also talking about angles like the angle of the bridge of your nose, the angle between your nose and your lip, and the projection & rotation of your nasal tip. These are factors that Dr. Rahban is an expert in, and will use to create a rhinoplasty that is best for your face and your preferences.

Parts of the nose

Here are different terms you’ll get to know as Dr. Rahban discussed rhinoplasty with you:

Columella. The columella is the piece of tissue at the bottom of your nose that separates your two nostrils. It gives some support to the nasal tip. There is an incision through the columella in an open rhinoplasty, which gives Dr. Rahban better access to create the best inner structure of the nose.
Radix. The radix is where your nasal bone structure connects with your forehead. It lines up approximately with your eye lashes.
Nasal dorsum. The nasal dorsum can also be called the bridge of your nose. Within the nasal dorsum are both cartilage and bone.
Nasal tip. Your nasal tip is typically the part of your face that sticks out the farthest.
Nasal vault. The upper third of your nose is generally considered the nasal vault.
Alar rims. This is another phrase for nostril rims. You may hear this phrase if we discuss nostrils being too pinched, or too bulbous.

Can we tell you exactly what angle your nasal tip should be at, to look the most natural? Is it possible to give you the exact ratio between the height and width of the ‘perfect’ nose? Absolutely not. While these elements inform decisions made by the surgeon, there are no fixed answers to what makes a great rhinoplasty, or what makes the most natural-looking nose job.

When Dr. Rahban performs a rhinoplasty, he takes the clinical elements of the nose and he ensures they are in balance and harmony with one another, and with the rest of your face. There are incredibly important medical elements to a successful rhinoplasty, but there are also critical stylistic elements to each surgeon’s esthetic. It’s in your best interest to carefully study a surgeon’s gallery of before/after pictures to make sure that their personal esthetic is one that you agree with. Their view of a natural nose will inform the rhinoplasty results you end up with.

If you are hoping to have a rhinoplasty that leaves you with a natural-looking nose, we would be happy to schedule a consultation between you and Dr. Rahban. He would be happy to educate you about how the results of a rhinoplasty are subjective, how to best ask for the improvements you’re hoping to see, and what he thinks are realistic results for your particular case. If you have questions about this operation or how a nose job can help you achieve your goals, please get in touch with us.