Can Revision Rhinoplasty Make The Tip of My Nose Smaller and More Refined?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in revision rhinoplasty. I have had two previous rhinoplasty surgeries and have thick skin on the tip of my nose.  Is it possible to reduce and sharpen my nasal tip? Can my nasal profile be reduced? I have attached some pictures of where my nose is now.

A: Reducing the profile of your nose, of which I assume the biggest need for that is up high at the bridge, seems like it could most certainly be done. In looking at your pictures, I am assuming it is the high radix of the bridge and perhaps the overall bridge itself that is the aesthetic concern.  When it comes to the nasal tip area, particularly in men, the challenge as you know is what your thicker nasal skin will allow to happen. Whether such a change is realistic would partially depend on what was done to this area in your prior rhinoplasty surgeries. I assume that efforts were made in that regard to do so but did not work. To the best of your knowledge can you tell me what was done in those procedures and how long ago was the surgeries?

There is always the old adage that past history predicts future behavior. Thus, if considerable effort was made for tip narrowing (times 2) and this is the result, I would not be optimistic that a third effort would be more successful. But the key question is what exactly was done to your nose in the prior two surgeries.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana