I’ve heard that the thickness of the skin is a greater factor in ethnic rhinoplasties. Why is this?
Thick nasal skin makes refinement of the nasal tip challenging because the thick skin hides the underlying nasal tip cartilages. Therefore, we use a variety of techniques to achieve nasal tip refinement in the ethnic rhinoplasty patient. The first maneuver is to re-shape your nasal tip cartilages to refine the appearance. This includes trimming some excess cartilage and using stitches to re-shape the cartilage. If more refinement is still needed, we can use cartilage from your nasal septum to achieve further refinement to the nasal tip. Finally, another aspect of thick nasal skin to consider in the ethnic rhinoplasty is the healing process. It takes approximately 12 months to truly appreciate the refined appearance of the nasal tip as the thick nasal skin tends to hold onto swelling for a longer period of time than thinner nasal skin.