Question:
What are the most common changes you make when performing rhinoplasty on Asian patients and how do you make these changes.
Answer:
Asian rhinoplasty is similar to African-American rhinoplasty. Many Asian patients want a nose that is not as wide in regards to the upper nasal bone area. The may also want the tip to be smaller and the ala or nostrils smaller as well. From the profile, the patient usually desires more projection. The initial way to perform these changes is to see how much cartilage is in the septum to use for a graft. If we feel that minimal cartilage is present in the septum, we may then use cartilage from the rib. So we start with the nasal tip and we increase projection by using numerous grafts such as plumping grafts, a columellar strut, and a shield graft. Once we perform, the tiplasty, the projection of the nose is increased. Next we address the nasal bones and build up the bridge or dorsum along the complete nasal skeleton to match the increased projected tip. Lastly, we perform a nasal base reduction by making incisions on the side of nostrils in a very aesthetically pleasing way to remove tissue to narrow the nostrils. These are the basics of performing the typical Asian or Ethnic rhinoplasty to make the nose look less ethnic without overdoing it to where it is Westernized.
