Rhinoplasty referred to by some as a nose job, is a procedure to change the shape of the nose. Special consideration must be taken when performing nose surgery on ethnic patients such as Asians, Hispanics, and African-Americans.

There are specific and unique features to ethnic noses and I always communicate closely with patients to assure what type of changes they want to see regarding their nose. Some would like a more Caucasian nose while others want to maintain their nasal ethnic identity with some refinement.

Common features addressed in ethnic rhinoplasty are a wide and flat nasal dorsum or bridge of the nose. This can be brought in with controlled fractures of the bone and suture techniques. Another characteristic is a short or flat under projected nasal tip. Cartilage grafts can be used to augment the nasal tip in rhinoplasty for this particular purpose. Lastly, the base of the nose may be quite wide in ethnic noses and can be addressed with a base reduction.

Every nose is different and the changes desired by the patient must be identified and communicated with the surgeon to obtain the natural, un-operated result for each individual patient.

Dr. Funk is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Houston. He sees and treats patients in Houston, Katy, Clear Lake, and Sugarland.