The characteristics of the nose are inherited from our parents and noses do not stop growing until approximately the age of sixteen. It is therefore unwise to opt for surgery to change its shape before then. It is also important for patients to be clear in their own mind what it is they dislike about their appearance prior to considering surgery. If they are able to explain this clearly to their surgeon, he or she will then be able to tell them what is surgically possible and what is not.
A Reduction Rhinoplasty reduces the size of the framework of the nose over which the skin is draped. The skin itself is not touched. The frame of the nose is made up of bone in its upperhalf and gristle (cartilage) in the lower half. During a rhinoplasty procedure this framework is approached from underneath the skin through cuts which are made inside the nostrils.