In the world of aesthetic procedures, fillers are enjoying a lot of attention at the moment. For, the treatment, long associated with enhancing lips, is now also being used to change the shape of the nose, without having to sit through the hours-long ordeal of rhinoplasty, or the “nose job”.
But what is a no-surgery nose job, which has become the latest it trend on social media and beyond? We asked New York-based celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Lara Devgan about the details.
Before we start, here's an important thing to note: Do your research before choosing an expert for nose fillers, as no two noses are the same and your expert needs to have worked on several patients before you.
Surgical three-dimensional anatomy and expertise in the operating room is critically important to safely and effectively perform a non-surgical rhinoplasty, says Dr Devgan.
A surgical correction for the nose offers a permanent fix, however, finding the downtime for surgery can be difficult, and that's why many patients opt for a non-surgical correction done with the help of fillers, says Dr Devgan, also the founder of Dr Lara Devgan Skincare.
“This look for the nose is not one size fits all. Everyone has a different unique anatomical structure, and based on that all noses are not meant to look the same. It is so important to approach cosmetic procedures with a well-informed and realistic mindset,” says Dr Devgan.
The non-surgical rhinoplasty uses a filler in order to fill in areas of the nose to create a certain look and shape, or to make a correction of the physical appearance of the bone structure of the nose.
“Many patients come in wanting to soften the look of their dorsal hump or lift their droopy tip. The non-surgical rhinoplasty allows to straighten a person's bridge and refine their nasal tip, all while improving the contour and symmetry of their nose,” she says.
In addition to fillers, a neuromodulator can also be injected in the depressor nasal septi (DNS) to improve the tip of the nose temporarily. The effects of a neuromodulator injected into the DNS are temporary, lasting three to four months.
“By injecting a neuromodulator into the DNS, it can weaken the muscles’ action of pulling the tip town when patients smile. This procedure creates a lift of the nasal tip, creating a more youthful and refreshed appearance. This can also help improve the symmetry of the nose that can be due to muscular imbalances,” explains Dr Devgan.
Filler injections come in different types. Dr Devgan prefers microdroplet injections, which need minimum filler for visible results, without having a significant amount of volume added to the nose. “Because of this, the nose appears to remain the same size, as the amount of filler in each dispersed area is quite minimal,” says Dr Devgan.
A non-surgical rhinoplasty takes a few minutes to perform, lasts one to two years, and you don’t need time off from work or social functions. Normal activity can be resumed the following day.
“Every patient metabolizes the filler at a different rate, but we recommend patients coming in every six to eight months for a check and for potential maintenance. The most common risks associated with this procedure include bruising, swelling, and redness, all of which would resolve on their own in a few days post procedure,” explains the expert.
Dhara Vora Sabhnani is a Mumbai-based journalist.