Rhinoplasty for Hispanic Patients

About Dr. Jason Hamilton

Jason S. Hamilton, M.D. is the Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for the Osborne Head and Neck Institute based at Cedar-Sinai Medical Towers. Dr. Hamilton has advanced training in plastic and reconstructive surgical techniques involving the face, head, and neck, and limits his practice to the treatment of these areas exclusively.

View All Posts

 

What is the difference between traditional and ethnic rhinoplasty?

Question: I want a second opinion about performing a rhinoplasty after an old nasal fracture.  I just saw a plastic surgeon and he said that because I am Hispanic, I would have to lower my expectations about my results.  He told me that my “type” of nose often doesn’t get good results and that I have thick skin that will make my nose look unrefined. He made it sound like I shouldn’t expect great results because of my ethnicity.   What did he mean by this and what is an ethnic rhinoplasty?

hispanic rhinoplasty
Figure 1. Before /After rhinoplasty oblique view
hispanic nose surgery
Figure 2. Before/ After rhinoplasty lateral view

Discussion: One of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures for the Hispanic female patient is rhinoplasty.   Rhinoplasty reshapes the nose into a more pleasing shape.  Ethnic rhinoplasty means performing rhinoplasty on any non-Caucasian patient, while maintaining culture norms.  Simply put, it means making the nose look better without making the person look Caucasian.  This includes Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, African-American, and Middle-Eastern groups, among others.

Why is there a distinction? Ethnic noses tend to have thicker, oiler skin than Caucasian noses.  The ethnic skin is less pliable (flexible) and requires advanced techniques to achieve the same level of refinement as a Caucasian patient.  Rhinoplasty textbooks and the training that most plastic surgeons receive focus only on Caucasian rhinoplasty.

This means that a plastic surgeon must have a particular interest in ethnic rhinoplasty, and study it on their own to deliver excellent results to ethnic patients.

Many ethnic patients end up with an unnatural appearance after rhinoplasty because their surgeon is applying the same techniques to all patients, regardless of their ethnicity. This leaves patient with a “standard” nose that looks good on one group of patients, but unnatural on the rest.

Dr. Hamilton specializes in performing rhinoplasty on patients of all ethnic groups.  He has spent a considerable amount of time and research mastering rhinoplasty techniques specifically geared towards the ethnic rhinoplasty, resulting in an excellent result that fits the person’s ethnicity.

Key Points:

Ethnic Rhinoplasty: Ethnic rhinoplasty refers to nose reshaping procedures that maintain cultural norms, used when performing rhinoplasty on any non-Caucasian patient.  It is not a specific procedure, but rather a concept that the surgeon must be familiar with.

Recommendations: Dr. Hamilton has mastered rhinoplasty techniques yielding excellent results for all ethnic groups.

Read patient stories about Dr. Jason Hamilton, of the Osborne Head & Neck Institute.

To learn more about rhinoplasty by Dr. Jason Hamilton, and other procedures offered at the internationally renowned Osborne Head and Neck Institute visit our website at: http://www.ohninewnose.com/