Rhinoplasty is becoming increasingly popular among the African American population.
Rhinoplasty, or “nose job”, is a plastic surgery procedure where the nose is restructured to make it more aesthetically appealing or to increase nasal function.
Rhinoplasty can address a variety of concerns including: asymmetry, size and proportionality.
Common aesthetic concerns of the African American nose include:
A wide dorsum, ill-defined tip, decreased tip projection, alar flaring(nostrils), and diminished nasal height and length.
Dr Totonchi appreciates the ethnic concept of beauty and nasofacial harmony to create an aesthetic balance in treating African American rhinoplasty patients. The goal to be met for rhinoplasty on African American noses is to achieve harmony and balance, with a narrower, straight dorsum, increased height, better tip projection and definition, while reducing nasal flaring. Nasofacial harmony is the ultimate goal of any surgical plan.
Challenges when working with the African American nose are that the skin is thick, sebaceous, and inelastic, making it difficult to obtain a well-defined tip. Choosing a plastic surgeon who is skilled in ethnic noses is imperative to be able to achieve your goal.
When it comes to function, rhinoplasty can help resolve airway and breathing issues and in turn provide tremendous relief to those who cannot breathe properly due to dysfunctional nasal anatomy. The most common procedure associated with correcting airway issues is a septoplasty. A septoplasty corrects a deviated septum. The septum is composed of bone and cartilage which separates the left and right nares. When the septum is deviated, difficulties in breathing can occur. Septoplasty involves surgically correcting the deviation in order to increase nasal airflow. Turbinate reduction can also be done at the same time, if indicated, to increase air movement through the nares.
Many patients have a combination of aesthetic and functional nasal concerns that they seek to correct when undergoing rhinoplasty surgery. During the consultation, Dr Totonchi will talk with you and create a customized surgical plan, based on your individual aesthetic and functional concerns, and desired outcome.
Schedule your consultation with Cleveland, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Ali Totonchi, MD., Call 216-778-2262.
