With the ever-present desire for cosmetic enhancement, “nose jobs” have continued to be one of the most popular plastic-surgery options.
However, with the constant advancements that are occurring in the world of dermal-filler injections, new techniques are arising that allow patients to get an improved nose without the potential complications of surgery; fear of pain and the downtime of redness, bruising and swelling.
Additionally, the cost of surgery alone can make the option prohibitive to people.
A “liquid nose job” presents an alternative to surgery, and is becoming more popular in the aesthetic world.
Dermal-fillers are used for nose augmentation to shape, reshape and enhance the appearance of a person’s nose. This is an in-office procedure performed non-surgically with virtually no downtime.
A non-surgical, non-invasive nose job or nose augmentation can take as little as 15 minutes and may last a year to two years or longer depending on the product used.
Some of the reasons patients request a non-surgical nose job include:
- Unhappy with the “hump” near the bridge of their nose
- Desire to improve the shape and symmetry of their nose, trauma or genetics
- Wants to avoid rhinoplasty or revision rhinoplasty
- Feel their nose looks too big
- Flat nasal bridge
- Desire to have nasal tip raised or more defined
A variety of fillers have been used for nose-reshaping.
Dermal-fillers used to augment the nose for non-surgical, non-invasive nose jobs include: Restylane, Resylane Lyft, Juvederm, Voluma – (hyaluronic acids) and Radiesse (calcium hydroxyappetit).
When the undesired feature presents as “my nose looks too big now” or I want to get rid of the “hump” on my nose, adding volume to the nose or surrounding structures with tissue fillers can actually create an optical-illusion of the nose appearing smaller. It’s all about achieving the right proportions and ratios for the face.
As noted above, many dermal-filler options are available, however the most popular choice is anything in the hyaluronic acid family (particularly Restylane, Restylane Lyft or Voluma) for their lifting and shaping properties.
Another reason for favoring hyaluronic acid dermal-fillers is that worst-case scenario — a patient hates their injections — hyaluronic-acid based fillers are reversible with an enzyme called hyaluronidase. In cases where hyaluronidase is needed, results of the reversal can occur within minutes to a few hours. This is a critical factor; because many of the areas of the nose that are injected are adjacent to vascular structures that can create severe adverse complications if an intravascular injection were to occur. Therefore, it is important to seek a provider well-trained and experienced in treating this area, taking all precautions to avoid complications and knows how to deal with complications urgently if they were ever to unfortunately to occur.
What is a liquid nose-job like?
After discussing your goals and concerns with your treatment provider, a plan will be created specifically for your face. Once everyone is ready to do the actual injections, the dermal-filler is slowly injected into the area/s of concern and carefully molded.? Mild pressure is applied to reduce the risk of bruising followed by ice to reduce swelling. One of the wonderful things about dermal-filler is that the results are instant. Patients are usually very pleased with their immediate results, there is minimal to no downtime, and the injections cost a fraction of surgery.
Patients are usually amazed at how quickly a non-surgical nose job can be performed and they love the results.
Although it is a temporary fix, unlike surgery, due to the ease of the treatment patients are very accepting of the need to return for maintenance in 9 -12 months (or longer depending on the patient). In addition, patients are comforted by the fact that the “nose job” can be reversed.
Mild swelling, tenderness or bruising may be experienced after the procedure. Patients can return to regular activities immediately.