I’m African American – How Do you Improve My Nose Without It Looking Fake and Unnatural?

Question:

I’m African American and I feel like my nose is too wide and too big for my face. I do not want to look like a Barbie doll afterward. How do you improve my nose without it looking fake and unnatural, particularly in relation to my ethnicity?

Answer:

Your question is a good one. I would first say that all rhinoplasty is not the same. I spend a great deal of time with my patients using computer imaging prior to rhinoplasty to go over an approximation of the expected surgical result. I appreciate the fact that African American patients seeking rhinoplasty want some changes to their nose in order to bring the nose more into balance with the rest of the face, but, like many other ethnic groups, patients tend to want to maintain some ethnicity to their noses. Open and honest discussions with the patients prior to rhinoplasty is the best way to not only hear what the patient expects, but, also to convey what you as the surgeon can deliver as the rhinoplasty result with realistic expectations brought in line.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld