Nose Job for an African American Nose

Since the very first nose job or rhinoplasty was performed, a vast majority of doctors that were being trained in the United States began their training solely on the European aesthetic. They learned how to sculpt and adjust the common dislikes patients had with their Caucasian features because that demographic group did and continues to get the majority of surgical and non-surgical procedures. This is how onlookers (friends and family) and plastic surgery admirers could tell that someone had a nose job because the procedure became pretty standard. A vast majority of patients simply wanted to shrink their noses. Whether they were Caucasian, Asian, Latin or African American, there were and still are two basic incisions, the endonassal hidden inside of the nose and the external involves the cutting of the base of the columella between the nostrils. Today, from these basic incisions, plastic surgeons are able to apply their growing knowledge of the fundamental differences between ethnic noses and training of years past to approach each procedure with the artistry required to perform well within the parameters of that patient's unique nose and structural issues for the surgery. Historically, the greater majority of cosmetic procedures (greater than 70%) are performed on Caucasian women and men, with Latino and African American women and men at a distant one percent gap between them in second and third. Although the standard of beauty is shifting from standard European features to the ideal symmetry on one's face, as one of the top five procedures performed in this country for the past decade at least, the nose job remains very popular among all groups. So the surgeon's skills are required to improve with demand. Therefore, African American women aren't opting for the old school nose job, they are seeking out specialist who have developed strong reputations in being able to work around their more common platyrrhine nose, a wider nose bridge and nostril shape across, regardless of the overall size. This presents a unique challenge for the surgeon because there is less definite shape to work with. Many patients want to retain much of the shape of their nose, they would just like to tone down how much it stands out as their main facial feature - to blend in more with the whole face. So the technique requires an eye for the overall ethnic face in order to incorporate the reality of the patient's overall face shape and the nose that they desire. The surgeon still has to balance symmetry and feature size of the eyes, cheeks and mouth in order to soften the impact of the nose while creating an attractive nose that the patient is comfortable with and proud of as he or she moves forward.