True, in many cases of reconstructive or cosmetic “nose jobs,” the nose is damaged and needs to be returned to its former shape and size, or perhaps the patient was born with a nose that defies what should look “normal” on their face.

But often, a surgeon will need to add other procedures to “adjust” the rest of the face to make it proportional with the nose and enhance the aesthetic results.

Not All Nose Jobs Are The Same…

There are several types of rhinoplasties, and to some degree this affects what other alterations may be needed. It can be performed under a general anesthetic or with a local, depending on patient or doctor preference. In most cases, the surgeon makes some incisions inside the nostrils (closed rhinoplasty) or on the bit of skin that separates the nostrils (open rhinoplasty). In both cases, the surgeon separates the soft tissues from the underlying bone and cartilage, and then reshapes the soft tissue and underlying structures to achieve the aesthetic goal.

Other Procedures Can Help Keep The Balance

One of the other procedures which might be performed with rhinoplasty is really a supportive one: the doctor may take a piece of the patient’s bone or cartilage from the nose, ear or rib to reshape it elsewhere, or to push aside tissues to improve the breathing function of the nose, should that be one of the problems. In most cases, this is called a septoplasty.

Chin augmentation (mentoplasty) is another common procedure done alongside rhinoplasty. If you look at the nose and the chin, they are the parts of the face that are the most obtrusive, and therefore need to match proportionately.

In some cases, the patients’ own bone is taken from ribs and from part of the pelvis. In others, a synthetic implant is formulated. Chin augmentation is still popular because it’s an easy operation for both surgeon and patient (usually the implant is inserted through a small incision inside the mouth) and produces good results in the silhouette of the face.

Malarplasty, otherwise known as cheek implants, is also a procedure sometimes performed with rhinoplasty. Many times, a patient wants higher or different cheekbones to accompany his or her nose, and to help give the face a better contour, just like chin implants. If a rhinoplasty is being performed because of reconstructive reasons, the cheekbones are sometimes not normal either, and need to be fixed too.

Lantern Jaw, protruding lower jaw, weak jaw – these are also issues that may be addressed in conjunction with a rhinoplasty procedure. Usually, the jaw can be widened side-to-side as opposed to made thinner. This involves the surgeon breaking the jaw and inserting titanium screws to hold it apart while new bone grows to help the jaw take on a wider appearance. Although the rhinoplasty cost is already high and having more work done may add to the cost, many believe that it is worth the high price because these procedures can dramatically enhance the work done with a rhinoplasty!