Common Reasons for a Nose Job: Function and Aesthetics

In the United States, statistics indicate that more than 11,000 people undergo rhinoplasty surgeries every month. In the last 10 years, the cosmetic procedure continually ranked among the top 10 surgeries performed. Rhinoplasty is the most commonly requested corrective surgery in clients aged 16 and above. Overall, 75% of patients who choose the elective surgery are female. However, getting a nose job is the second most commonly requested procedure among men.

Why people elect to have a nose job:

Individuals seek medical intervention in the form of rhinoplasty for a variety of cosmetic or health related reasons. Reconstructive and cosmetic surgeons often perform the procedure to alter the shape or size of the nose for patients who desire changing characteristics. As a person ages, nasal features may change and create what some might consider an unattractive appearance or you may personally be self-conscious of. A birth defect or an undesirable, inherited trait may hinder self-confidence in clients who decide to undergo corrective surgery.

Patients typically decide to undergo rhinoplasty if their nose is too long, too wide or too large compared to the rest of his or her facial features in such as way that the patient desires to create more harmony, balance and symmetry overall. Noses might appear crooked, hooked, upturned or have an unsightly hump.

When nose jobs are performed for medical reasons:

Some clients receive a medical recommendation for the surgery in an effort to improve the form or function of interior structures. Breathing problems might occur when someone has a deviated septum, for example, which effects the partition that separates one nasal cavity from the other. Internal structures may hinder adequate air flow and contribute to an abnormal number of sinus infections. Patients might also experience sleep apnea or chronic snoring from a disturbance of sinus tissues. Facial trauma that causes bone fractures and soft tissue damage is another reason that may necessitate corrective nose surgery.

These are among some of the medical reasons a patient would elect to undergo a rhinoplasty. Many patients seek to correct a breathing problem and alter the shape or appearance of their nose at the same time in the same procedure. They elect to benefit from the reconstructive surgery portion of the surgery to restore function (breathing) while also benefitting from cosmetic enhancements.