Nose augmentation is a very commonly requested aesthetic procedure in Asian populations, where genetically our noses tend to have lower nose bridges and a more bulbous tip, giving rise to the appearance of a shorter nose. To compound matters, many Asian cultures believe that the appearance of a short nose signifies poor wealth and poor career progress, or less success in life. More scientifically, a short nose in the front view presents the lack of a bridge between the upper and mid face, with the eyes appearing further apart; while in the side view the face lacks contour and appears flatter.
As a result, there are many methods and products in the market for nose augmentation, but the goal always remains the same – to create a higher nose bridge, that is straighter and highlighted, and the appearance of a smaller nose tip, with less nostril show.
In our practice, we utilise threadlifts most commonly for nose augmentation. The strong PDO threads act as a girdle or pillar that lifts the natural soft tissue in the nose upwards and forwards, giving rise to a higher nose bridge and a straighter contour that highlights the nose in the same way one would with makeup. Threads can also be deployed in the nose tip to help optimise the angle of the tip, to reduce the appearance of an upturned nose and nostril show, or that of a hooked nose. The result is a higher, straighter and contoured nose with a beautiful highlight and light reflection, that frames the eyes optimally so that the eyes appear brighter, and provides a gentle curved bridge between the forehead and the midface. This helps the face appear slimmer and more attractive on the front view, while enhancing the contour of the face in the side view. Over time, the absorbable threads are slowly resorbed by the body, and results usually last between 9-18 months depending on individual, while many patients report that the straightness and highlight remains even after the height is gone.
As nose threadlifts is a minimally invasive procedure, its main limitation comes in patients with extremely short and flat noses, very big and bulbous nose tips, or patients with very prominent nasal humps or crooked noses. While threads can help improve the appearance of these noses, it is usually difficult to achieve truly satisfactory results, where surgical rhinoplasty may often be the better option for such patients, and especially patients who will benefit medically from the correction of a deviated nasal septum.
Fillers are effective in providing volume and structure and could thus be more effective in patients with short and flat noses. However, fillers can potentially spread sideways, giving rise to the appearance of a broader nose, or even a tubular looking or trunk-like nose, causing the eyes to look unnaturally close to each other. While this is not a problem in men who may look good with bigger and more powerful noses, it is often undesirable in Asian women, for whom the beauty ideal is not just a higher and straighter nose, but a slimmer and highlighted nose as well. For the same reason, we never use collagen stimulators for nose augmentation, as while the sideward spread of fillers can still be controlled by using lower volumes, specifically designed products and good techniques, volumizing the nose with collagen stimulators is almost guaranteed to spread sidewards to some extent. It is also worth noting that the nose is a danger zone for the injection of fillers, collagen stimulators, and autologous fat, due to the extremely rare but potentially catastrophic complication of blindness – which cannot happen with nose threadlifts.