One of the most prominent features of the face is the nose. And the most noticeable feature of the nose is the tip. Its plays an important role in balancing the overall facial harmony. The size and shape of the tip can distract from other facial features and its oversize can affect the entire appearance. On the other hand, the right tip size for the nose can enhance or emphasize the facial features in great detail. This is the reason that the shape and size of the nose is the cause of insecurity among many. In fact, tip plasty and rhinoplasty are the most common types of cosmetic surgical procedures around the world.
What is a bulbous tip?
A bulbous tip is a type of nose tip which give the tip its round or bulging shape. The shape can also cause the tip of the nose to become droopy or hooked or even upturned in some cases. Bulbous tips can also times be wider than the nose bridge. It is also known as boxy or rounded tip and makes the nose look too big for the face.
What causes bulbous nose tip?
The nose is essentially made of bones, cartilage and soft tissues. The shape, size and structure of the nose depends on these components and each nose is unique. The bone forms the shape and projection of nasal bridge, the cartilage shapes the tip of the nose etc.
- The cause of bulbous nose tip or the boxy tip is mainly the misshaped cartilages that support the nose tip and its shape. If the cartilage is too wide or is too convex or is oversized in the lower lateral cartilage, or it is positioned more vertically than ideally, then it can give a boxy appearance to the nose
- The second reason can be the thickness of the skin which makes the tip appear wider than the nose.
- Excessive soft tissue presence on the tip of the nose can make it look too wide and bulbous.
- Under projected nose bridge makes the nose tip look like small round ball on the top of the nose.
- People who have rosacea which is untreated or uncontrolled often face the issue of a wider nose tip. The nose tip often has swelling and becomes inflamed and red making the tip appear bigger, larger and rounder. Rosacea is not limited to nose, it can also affect the skin on hands feet, and other parts of body including blood vessels.
- One severe cause of bulbous nose tip is Rhinophyma. This condition causes the tip of the nose to swell and become very visible. This is caused because of a benign tumour affecting the sweat ducts of the nose. Too much exposure to sunlight further worsens the situation.
Do you need a bulbous nose rhinoplasty?
Bulbous or boxy nose tip surgery is called a tip rhinoplasty or a tip plasty. Getting is corrected is your personal decision in most cases unless there is some functional difficulty necessitating the procedure. Here are some key factors to consider to understand if you need a bulbous nose tip plasty
- Does the end of your nose have blub like appearance and is round and building?
- Does the nose tip look very prominent and lacks definition?
- Do the upper and lower halves of the nose look different in terms of symmetry
- Is the line from the top of the nose to the end of the nose not a gentle curve?
If the answers are yes, then you need a bulbous tip correction surgery. The bulbous tip nose surgery also becomes necessary in case of rosacea or rhinophyma patients to avoid the changes in the nose. It will prevent your nose from become large or hampering the breathing ability or cartilage damage collapse.
Be careful of the myths surrounded by Bulbous nose tip causes. Alcohol, running or running your nose does not cause the nose tip to enlarge.
Benefits of bulbous nose rhinoplasty
The results are clearly visible in the rhinoplasty of bulbous nose before and after photos that you can see in the surgeon’s office. If you chose to undergo bulbous tip rhinoplasty under the top rhinoplasty surgeons you will enjoy amazing results
- It is scarless: Modern techniques are used such as closed and open rhinoplasty in which the scars are hardly visible post healing.
- Improved confidence in your looks: Many individuals with a bulbous nose may feel self-conscious about their appearance. By addressing the concerns, they have about their nose, rhinoplasty can boost self-confidence and improve self-esteem. Feeling more comfortable in their own skin can positively impact various aspects of their lives.
- Nose reshaping: The primary advantage of bulbous nose surgery is the ability to reshape a bulbous or round nose. The surgeon can modify the size, width, and contour of the nose to achieve a more balanced and aesthetically pleasing appearance. This can help enhance facial symmetry and improve overall facial harmony.
- Subtle enhancement of facial features: The bulbous nose can dominate the face can take the attentional away from the eyes and lips. Simple bulbous nose tip correction rhinoplasty enhances the shape of the face as the subtle changes refine the shape and proportions of the nose. This will get you a lot of compliments for your facial features.
- Correcting breathing difficulties: In some cases, a bulbous nose may be associated with functional issues, such as a deviated septum or other structural abnormalities that affect breathing. Rhinoplasty can address these underlying problems, improving nasal airflow and overall respiratory function.
- It is a swift rhinoplasty procedure: The tip reshaping is the simple procedure that takes less than two hours to complete. You can return to regular life in just one week.
Bulbous nose rhinoplasty
This is a simple procedure done to reshape the tip of the nose to a more balanced and aesthetically pleasing shape and contour. This is done by reshaping the cartilage or debulking the skin. if the cartilage is weak then the surgeon and repair or reinforce the weak or damaged cartilage in the bulbous nose surgery.
Depending on the amounts of corrections needed the surgeon can chose either a closed rhinoplasty or an open rhinoplasty. the aim is to refine and reconfigure the cartilage and soft tissues and reshape the nose tip. Many a times this procedure is combined with nose bridge augmentation for a more wholesome result.
In a closed rhinoplasty the incisions are made on the insides of the nose and the surgeon uses endoscopic camera to see the insides of the nose and make the necessary corrections. Open rhinoplasty on the other hand is used when there are complex and extensive changes needed in the nose tip. The incision is made on the base of the nose to have a better and full access to the cartilage, bone and tissue inside the nose. There are no visible scars both the procedures. it is best to choose a credible, experienced and trustworthy rhinoplasty surgeon like Dr Debraj Shome who has extensive experience in tip rhinoplasty for bulbous nose correction and can give natural and desirable results. Being selective with the bulbous nose tip surgery surgeon will save you a lot of trouble of additional revision rhinoplasties in the future.
Techniques used in bulbous nose rhinoplasty
Depending on the cause of the boxy tip, the skin type and condition and the refinement needed in the tip the rhinoplasty surgeon can use any of the following surgical methods to improve facial harmony and overfall appearance of facial features
- Reshaping using sutures: This technique is used in narrowing the lower lateral cartilage for tip refinement. Suturing keeps the tip in shape and as time passes the sutures are absorbed by the body and the shape remains intact.
- Cartilage trimming or cephalic trimming: the cartilage in the nose tip is shaped like a horse shoe. The wider it is the more bulbous the shape of the tip of the nose. Cartilage trimming removes the part of lower alar cartilage and thus naturally narrowing the nasal tip. This is a very delicate procedure as over trimming can lead to cartilage collapse in the future.
- Using cartilage grafts: When there is lack of enough cartilage to work with or the cartilage is damaged then the rhinoplasty surgeon uses grafts to form and shape the cartilage. These grafts can be taken from the patient’s own body (ear, ribs etc) or can be made of high grade silicon materials. The grafts are carefully trimmed and placed under the skin of the nose in strategic locations to improve the tip definition suiting the facial features.
Each person’s nasal anatomy is unique, and the approach to bulbous nose surgery can be tailored to individual needs and desired outcomes. Surgeons work closely with patients to understand their goals and create a personalized surgical plan, ensuring that the results align with the patient’s expectations. It can also be combined with dorsal hump correction.
How to prepare for bulbous nose job?
Pre surgery precautions are necessary to ensure safety and comfort during the operation and smooth results afterwards. Here are some things to keep in mind
- Don’t take any unprescribed medicines: Taking medicines without the knowledge of your surgeon or hiding your medical condition will only delay the healing and the results of the rhinoplasty surgery. Let your surgeon know about medication, prescription drugs, vitamins, supplements that you are taking.
- Avoid sun exposure for 10 days before the bulbous nose surgery: Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause inflammation of the skin. therefore, two weeks before the scheduled surgery avoid sun exposure and tanning beds or sun lamps. Cover yourself with sunscreen of SPF 30+++ or more if you are heading out.
- Stay away from alcohol and smoking four weeks before the surgery: since this tip plasty is a surgical procedure, it will involve some amount of bleeding. Alcohol thins the blood and smoking reduces the blood flow and this means if you smoke or drink to close to the surgery it can delay healing of the wounds further increases the chances of infections.
- Avoid caffeine: Caffeinated beverages increase blood pressure and it can be a problem if you have heart aliments and hypertension.
- Don’t drink citrus juices for 24 hours before rhinoplasty: They can irritate your stomach.
- Follow the surgeon’s instructions and what to eat or drink before your surgery.
Cost of bulbous tip rhinoplasty
Nose tip rhinoplasty cost is one of the most common questions that come to a patient’s mind. The cost is influenced by many factors such as surgeon’s fees, faciality fees, graft cost (if needed), anaesthesia fees etc. the price of bulbous tip rhinoplasty also varies with the location and experience of the rhinoplasty surgeon.
If there are other functional issues such as deviated septum, allergies etc, that need to be correct along with the boxy tip then the nose tip rhinoplasty cost will increase accordingly. Cosmetic nose tip rhinoplasty is not covered by insurance. The surgeon will first do a consultation of the nose and work out the amount of work needed to fix your bulbous nose tip. After this they will give you an estimate cost of the tip reshaping surgery. this might include the post operative care costs also. Then you can discuss the payment plan and other things with the clinic.
The Bulbous Nasal Tip Before After Photos, See the Patient Results-
FAQ for bulbous nose rhinoplasty
1. Does the bulbous nose become bigger with age?
As we age the skin laxity decreases and gravity begins to take its effect. The nose does not grow bigger or rounder but it is the skin and ligaments and tissues around it that become weak and it appears as if the nose is becoming bigger.
2. Can people with thick skin have a bulbous nose surgery?
Yes, and very successfully. The fat and the muscles under the skin can be trimmed or scrapped to create a more defined tip. Making corrections on a ticker skin is slightly more challenging but for an expert rhinoplasty surgeon it is an easy task. Tip cartilage reshaping, suturing and cartilage grafts can give great results.
3. Can I get rid of bulbous nose without a surgical procedure?
Yes, non-surgical bulbous nose rhinoplasty is done using liquid fillers. Hyaluronic acid based and calcium hydroxylapatite fillers are safe to use and FDA approved. The whole procedure takes about 20 minutes to complete and the results last anywhere from one to three years. The fillers are injected around the tip and the nose bridge to sooth the bumps on it so make the nose look straighter and thinner. Fillers are also effective in improving the symmetry of the nose and thus deemphasizing the boxy nose tip. This procedure is less costly than the surgical tip plasty procedure.
4. Does the tip plasty alone give ideal results?
When you refine the tip of the nose then the nasal bones and nostrils can appear wide or if you shorten the nose or reduce the tip then the bridge also needs to be adjusted along with it. combining the procedures makes sure that the new tip fit in with the facial features. Sole tip plasty is one done for patients who do not need other adjustments in the nose or the nose tip is not too bulky.
5. What is the recovery after bulbous tip rhinoplasty?
The average recovery time is around 8 days. If there is a cast placed or outside stitches then the surgeon will remove then after six days. You can resume normal work in 2 weeks after the surgery . The swelling will go down in about 6 weeks and full swelling will subside in about one year.
- Initial days post the surgery sleep with your head elevated to prevent swelling.
- Use ice compress on the operated area 3-4 times a day. This will help in faster healing.
- Eat soft, light and cool food to protect the new nose. avoid foods that require too much chewing.
- Try to stay indoors so that nothing irritates the nose. you should not be blowing your nose for a few weeks after the surgery.
- Don’t try to clean the nasal cavity to avoid pressure on the incision sites.
- Avoid sun exposure for three months after the procedure
- Avoid wearing heavy sun glasses or glasses for up to six weeks post-surgery
- Take the prescribed medications regularly to avoid complications and speed up healing.
6. Can a revision rhinoplasty be done for bulbous nose tip?
Yes, but several factors influence this such the number of surgeries you have had previously for the nose, the strength of the framework of the nose, the level of scarring on the nose tip.