Can A Closed Rhinoplasty Be Done To Straighten My Nose and Narrow The Tip?

Q: I don’t like the appearance of my nose and want to get a rhinoplasty to fix it. The problem is that the upper part of my nose is not straight or symmetric. There is also a small bump that I want to get rid of as well. Is there any way to really just straighten out the top bone of my nose? The upper part of my nose is diagonal. That is what I believe makes the one side look bigger. Is there any way to shave just a bit off the tip of the nose as well without  tampering with the nostrils or performing open surgery? What happens if the surgery does not heal correctly? Will I need to pay to fix it again? By that I mean deformed nostrils of something of that nature. Thank you so much! Sorry for my abundance of questions.

A:  You are talking about a closed rhinoplasty versus doing an open rhinoplasty. Through a closed rhinoplasty approach, the hump can be taken down, the nasal bones straightened by osteotomies and the tip narrowed by plication with sutures . With a closed rhinoplasty, there would be limited risk of nostril asymmetry. The more major issue and the real concern is how straight and symmetric the nasal bone area (pyramid) can be made. It is also important to realize that the tip changes through a closed approach would be less significant than that of using an open approach.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana