Improving the Droopy Nose by rhinoplasty

Droopy nasal tip is one of the most common problems that patients undergo the nasal surgery for modifying it. It is a type of nasal deformations that not only affects the nasal appearance, but also makes some problems for the nasal efficiency through blocking the airway. In most cases, the patients go to the doctor’s office complaining about the appearance of their nose without knowing that their droopy nose has led to this dissatisfaction.

Many factors are involved in droopy nasal tip and it can be treated by surgical or non-surgical methods depending on the amount of nasal deformations.

Some of these factors are:

Abound cartilages within the nasal tip
Damage to the nose
Long nose with no cartilaginous support in the nasal tip
Reduced flexibility of ligaments and connective tissues caused by the aging process
The history of weakened nasal deformity (with non-surgical methods, such as injection) may lead to loss of nasal tip support and at last, a droopy nose.
Loss of bone calcium (osteoporosis) of the jaw (a bone that supports the tip of the nose and upper teeth)
Dragging the nasal muscles towards the nasal tip

What are the problems with a droopy nose?

Droopy nasal tip, in addition to creating an inappropriate appearance for the nose, can also cause respiratory problems in severe cases.

If you feel breathing more comfortable while raising your nose, it is possible that your droopy nose has also damaged your breathing. In this condition, it is best to refer an expert surgeon to reform it.

How is the droopy nose diagnosed?

The surgeon considers many aspects of nasal and facial structure when evaluating her/his patient for the surgery. For instance, the shape and rotation of the nasal tip are among the most important factors which must be considered.

Droopy nose can be detected by measuring the nasal angles and levels including:

The angle between the nose and upper lip: it is in fact the angle made by confluence of tangent and nostrils and tangent with distance between the upper lip to the nose. In women, in terms of beauty criteria, the angle between 100 and 120 degrees is the best, while the aesthetic criteria determine this angle between 90 to 110 degrees for men. If the angle is less than the appointed amounts, the patient’s nose is considered droopy.

This is the angle formed by the confluence of the nostrils’ edge and plate passing through the ear canal and the central nasal bone. The ideal angle for women is 0 to 30 degrees and for men is 0 to 15 degrees.

To obtain these angles, the surgeon usually takes some photos from different facial angles. Although these measurements are useful for detecting the droopy nose, the surgeon ought to consider the other factors such as patient’s facial shape and length.

Non-surgical procedures for improving the droopy nose

Injection is one of the non-surgical methods for treating the droopy nose and includes:

Botox: modification of the minor nasal changes can be done by Botox. In this method, the nasal muscles rise slightly.
Radiesse: Modification of very minor to moderate changes with a very mild angle and reformation of the droopy nose
Restylane: improving the mild to moderate defects in the appearance of nose

Surgical procedures to modify the droopy nose

There are many surgical methods to reform the droopy nose. Choosing each one depends on the reasons of downward nose, unique anatomy of the patient’s nose, and the outcome desired by patient and doctor. In general, more attention should be paid to the support quality of the nasal tip. Without this support, access to the right point will not be possible and as a result, the nose will be droopy again. Here, some of the reformation methods for droopy noses are represented.

If the nasal septum causes the nasal lengthening, it may be necessary to remove some of the cartilage and move the rest to make the tip upward.
Stitching technique is another method by which the round and twisted nasal tip is reshaped.
If the droopy nose is due to the lack of nasal tip support, cartilage transplant may be needed.
Changing and modification of lower lateral cartilages.
In some cases, it is required to combine some methods in order to achieve the expected results.

In certain cases, nasal surgeries can be performed only for the lower third of the nose, which is referred to as nasal tip surgery. Otherwise, surgery focuses on the upper parts.

These are some of the techniques used for droopy nose surgery, although different surgeons may also use different methods to reform it. In any case, for dear patients, it is best to let surgeons choose surgical procedures that will allow them to make the necessary changes.