Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty reshapes the nose to improve its proportion and its relationship to the rest of the face. Where breathing is affected, functional correction is performed at the same time.

It is the most technically demanding operation in facial plastic surgery, because millimeters are visible and because the nose must heal into its final shape over a year or more.

Dr. Low’s approach is conservative and structural — preserving and reshaping support rather than removing it, which produces results that hold up over decades rather than collapsing subtly with time.

What Rhinoplasty Addresses

• A dorsal hump or irregular profile
• A wide, bulbous, or drooping tip
• Nostril width and shape
• A crooked or deviated nose
• Overall size relative to the face
• Deviated septum and airway obstruction
• Correction of previous rhinoplasty performed elsewhere

Techniques

Open rhinoplasty

A small incision across the columella between the nostrils, allowing full visualization. Preferred for tip work, significant reshaping, and revision. The scar is typically imperceptible once healed.

Septorhinoplasty

Combines aesthetic reshaping with correction of a deviated septum to improve breathing.

Preservation techniques

Where suitable, the natural dorsal structure is preserved and repositioned rather than removed, maintaining the nose’s own architecture.

Ethnic rhinoplasty

Reshaping that respects and preserves the patient’s ethnic characteristics rather than imposing a single aesthetic standard. Dr. Low approaches every rhinoplasty this way as a matter of principle.

Who Is a Candidate?

You may be a good candidate if you:

• Are dissatisfied with the size, shape, or proportion of your nose
• Have a hump, wide tip, or asymmetry
• Have difficulty breathing through your nose
• Have completed facial growth (generally 16+ for women, 17+ for men)
• Are in good health with realistic, specific goals

Recovery & Expectations

A splint is worn for approximately one week. Bruising around the eyes is common and settles within 10–14 days. Most patients return to work at one to two weeks.

The critical point about rhinoplasty recovery: the result takes a year. Swelling in the tip resolves slowly and unevenly, and the nose at three months is not the nose at twelve months. Patients who expect a final result quickly are always disappointed. Dr. Low sets this expectation clearly from the first consultation.