Rhinoplasty: New York at Its Center

Rhinoplasty, (or "nose job") is a surgical procedure that dates back to the very origins of plastic surgery, (see "History" above). The ancient need to restore nasal structure following trauma led slowly but inevitably over time to a desire to electively reshape the "normal" nose in search of a more aesthetic facial appearance. In the early part of the 20th century, students of famed Prussian surgeon, Jacques Joseph brought cosmetic rhinoplasty to New York. As surgical techniques have continued to evolve, New York has remained one of the main hubs of innovation in rhinoplastic surgery.

Cosmetic Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty performed for aesthetic reasons has become a very refined operation today, allowing surgeons to create dramatic transformations in facial aesthetics while leaving little or no external evidence of the intervention. However, as much as any single procedure in plastic surgery, rhinoplasty depends for its success upon the surgeon's insight into how very subtle changes in anatomy will affect the patient's appearance over time.

What appears an aesthetic triumph at 3 months may prove a mild disappointment at a year, and a disaster at two. Few other operations performed by the cosmetic surgeon can have their outcomes so affected by technical nuance. It is for this reason that the most successful rhinoplastic surgeons have historically been people able to bring extraordinary analytical and observational skills to the evaluation of a large operative experience .

Explore the links provided here to learn about pertinent nose anatomy as well as the history of rhinoplasty as it relates to the overall origins of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Reference links are also provided to helpful web pages with photo collections that illustrate male rhinoplasty, female rhinoplasty and secondary rhinoplastic surgery.