Rhinoplasty, or a nose job, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that can correct, reconstruct, restore or improve your nose aesthetically. Like each patient, each rhinoplasty procedure is unique. As a highly qualified and experienced facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Denton, when planning your rhinoplasty, takes into consideration nasal anatomy, facial proportions, skin thickness, and your expectations.
Why is Skin Thickness Important When considering rhinoplasty?
Most people understand that the size and shape of their noses are determined by underlying nasal structures. Therefore, cosmetic rhinoplasty surgery focus on changing or reshaping the skeletal frame and cartilage of your nose. However, when Dr. Denton considers to what extent he can transform your nose, he also considers the thickness of your nasal skin since it provides smoothness, and softness as well as conceals and reshapes your nasal skeletal frame.
If your skin is neither too thin nor too thick and has a smooth and healthy complexion, then there shouldn’t be any limits as far as skin thickness is concerned. On the other hand, if your skin is too thick or too thin, then there may be some limitations regarding the final rhinoplasty result.
What Can Affect Skin Thickness?
The skin on your nose is thicker and has more collagen than skin anywhere else on your body. This can help when performing rhinoplasty procedures since it contributes to the refinement and the disguise of minor asymmetries in the underlying structures of the nose. Here are some factors that can affect skin thickness:
1. Genetics / Ethnicity
The thickness of the skin on your nose is mainly determined by your genetics/ethnicity. For example, there are ethnic groups whose nose skin is thicker than Caucasians. The curves, shapes, and forms of their nose are blunted by the thicker skin. This can result in a nose that is more rounded and bulbous in appearance.
2. Aging
The older you get, the less skin elasticity you have because of a reduction in collagen, and other factors such as sun damage and other forms of skin damage. As a result, you begin to develop wrinkles and sagging skin on your face, including your nose.
3. Sun Exposure
As you may know, extensive exposure to the sun can damage your skin, including the skin on your nose. The sun’s ultraviolet rays make your skin thinner, destroy collagen and elastin, therefore causing a loss in elasticity and firmness. As the skin on your nose becomes thinner, you may notice wrinkles, spots, and sagging.
4. Scarring
The skin on your nose can also lose thickness from scarring caused by acne or other injuries. The thinner skin occurs because your body produces collagen to help heal the injured skin, but sometimes this can cause scars that have less thickness than your normal skin tissue.
How Thin Skin Can Affect Your Rhinoplasty
Benefits
Having thinner skin can have both benefits as well as disadvantages. For example, if you have thinner skin then the recovery process after your rhinoplasty will be faster and easier. This is because you will experience less swelling. The changes and the detail to your nose will also be more visible.
Drawbacks
However, the thinness of your skin won’t allow for any minor irregularity or asymmetry to be covered and go unnoticed after the swelling is gone. Additionally, you are more at risk of having a nose that appears too pinched or having a nose tip that seems pointy and may have an unnatural look.
Solution
Facial plastic surgeons can take steps to prevent or avoid the drawbacks of having thin nose skin. Your surgeon will have to take extra care to ensure that your nasal bridge is as smooth as possible and that your nasal tip is symmetrical. If your skin is extremely thin, it may be necessary to transplant a thin layer of additional soft tissue grafts to increase skin thickness so that any skeletal or cartilage imperfections are covered or concealled.
How Thick Skin Can Affect Your Rhinoplasty
Benefits
If your skin is thick but not extremely thick, it can help conceal any imperfections in the underlying framework of your nose. It’s also possible that less reshaping will need to be performed on your nose’s underlying structures as the surgeon may need to focus more on stretching the skin and thinning it to create the necessary refinements.
Drawbacks
For rhinoplasty surgeons, extremely thick nasal skin can be one of the most challenging parts of a rhinoplasty procedure. For instance, there are cases where the skin can be so bulky that the definition of the underline nasal structures and the reshaping performed during the rhinoplasty is obscured. Additionally, individuals with extremely thick-skinned noses tend to have a weak and under projected cartilage framework, which also affects the definition of the nose.
Furthermore, as thick skin weighs more, it can pull the nasal tip downward and add extra stress to the cartilage framework. If the rhinoplasty surgeon is not careful to take this into consideration, the surgical modifications can weaken the structural support of the nose and possibly risk progressive skeletal collapse and nasal deformity.
Another issue that we mentioned earlier, is that rhinoplasty patients with thick skin may take longer to recover and for their swelling to disappear, especially after revision rhinoplasty. Most thick-skinned rhinoplasty patients may experience swelling for at least 12-18 months and for some individuals, steroid injections may be required to reduce the swelling. This means that they won’t be able to enjoy the total transformation of their rhinoplasty for at least a year.
Solution
An experienced Vancouver rhinoplasty surgeon like Dr. Denton is aware of the challenges of thick-skinned noses and has the skills to overcome them, providing patients with maximum definition while preserving nasal structure strength. Thus, if you have thick nasal skin, you still have the opportunity to achieve the rhinoplasty results you may be expecting if the surgery is performed by a qualified facial plastic surgeon with extensive experience in rhinoplasty procedures.
One of the ways that facial plastic surgeons can help make your thick skin thinner and enhance the definition of your nose is by stretching the skin and projecting into it to create the desired refinements. If possible, a reductive procedure may be avoided. If underlying nasal structures need to be modified, the surgeon can preserve and reinforce them in such a manner as to ensure both an attractive and strong nasal framework that can withstand the weight of bulky nasal skin.
Another way to create the desired definition and narrowing at the tip of the nose and the bridge is by adding more cartilage grafts. This sounds a bit strange to rhinoplasty candidates since most people expect some bone and cartilage to be removed (which is what happens with thin-skinned noses). However, for rhinoplasty patients with thick skin, experienced rhinoplasty surgeons may add cartilage to create the desired definition and refine the shape of the nose.
Choosing The Most Qualified Rhinoplasty Surgeon in Vancouver
Whether you have thin or thick nose skin, your initial rhinoplasty surgery is the most important factor affecting how your nose will look not only in the immediate future but decades after your cosmetic surgical procedure. Hence, it’s important to choose your rhinoplasty surgeon carefully. Even though rhinoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic facial surgical procedures, it is quite a complex and challenging procedure.
If you are considering rhinoplasty, it is highly recommended to consult a leading board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, like Dr. Denton, who is highly experienced in this procedure and has a clear understanding of the nasal structure and the surgical techniques required to perform it flawlessly and provide you with the desired results.
What’s more, since no rhinoplasty procedure is the same, the surgeon needs to take time to consult with the patient and establish a customized treatment plan. This will reinforce the patient’s confidence, especially when computer imaging is used to reflect the anticipated changes. Dr. Denton’s philosophy is that the patient must be an equal member of the decision-making team so that he or she can make sound informed decisions and will be aware of the expected result.
Our private and comfortable offices are located in the heart of Vancouver’s medical corridor, just one block from Vancouver General Hospital. Our state-of-the-art on-site surgical suite allows all patient visits – from consultation through surgery and post-operative follow-up – to be scheduled at this location, adding simplicity, familiarity, and convenience to the patient experience.
Schedule your rhinoplasty consultation online or call 604-879-3223 and find out how Dr. Denton can help you achieve the result that will make you feel more confident about your appearance.