Refining the Nose with a Needle

People scouring the internet to learn about nose jobs are discovering that it’s possible to change the look of their noses nonsurgically with fillers, says Theda C. Kontis, M.D., who coauthored “Nonsurgical rhinoplasty,” published October 2016 in Facial Plastic Surgery and is presenting on the topic at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) Advances in Rhinoplasty Meeting in Chicago from May 4 to 7, 2017.

“Before now, it didn’t even have a name. Now [nonsurgical rhinoplasty] is becoming popular when people see there’s a sort of ‘cheat’ rhinoplasty that they can do,” Dr. Kontis tells Cosmetic Surgery Times.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty appeals to many who can’t afford the expense or time off associated with surgery; people who have already had a rhinoplasty but imperfections remain; and older patients who don’t want to endure surgery.

Before

After

Selfies have put noses under the microscope, Dr. Kontis says, and patients, armed with selfies, are coming to her office pointing out exactly what they’d like to change.

“People are paying much closer attention to their appearance and focusing on the things that are bothering them,” says Dr. Kontis, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md. “They’re also understanding that nonsurgical rhinoplasty is a technically difficult thing to do. I don’t know this for a fact, but I don’t think that they are going to spas and novice injectors for this. I think they know it has to be done by a physician.”