Retaining African-American Features in Rhinoplasty
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During the previous decades, many African-Americans looked at rhinoplasty surgery or nose job with great suspicion; this was probably caused by the “too pointy and narrow nasal tip” seen with the late Michael Jackson and other celebrities in the early 90s.
But with the advances in plastic surgery and more understanding with ethnic beauty, plastic surgeons nowadays can create a rhinoplasty result that is in harmony with a person’s face.
Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Tarick Smaili believes that when treating African-Americans with nose surgery, retaining their “key features” can have a natural and aesthetically pleasing result.
“These days, plastic surgeons are using different ways to refine the nasal tip. When we say refinement, it does not necessary mean that we make a very narrow nostril and too pointed tip, which are the typical characteristics of a Caucasian nose. Now we have something we call ethnic rhinoplasty that emphasizes and glorifies the key features of our ethnic patients,” Smaili said.
The problem with too much manipulation of the nasal tip and nostrils of African-Americans, Smaili said, that the result—more often than not—will look odd and “facially imbalance.” This was a problem during the previous years when doctors have not yet found ways to preserve the face’s ethnic heritage.
While there is some variability when it comes to the nasal appearance of people with African heritage, there are some commonly found distinct features among them that differ from Caucasians.
For instance, African-Americans have a thicker skin but weaker nasal cartilage than Caucasians. With this consideration, there is often no problem of using synthetic materials in which “coverage” is important to prevent or at least minimize the risk of implant protrusion or visibility.
By contrast, Caucasians tend to have a thinner skin that plastic surgeons are extra cautious when using synthetic implants. For this reason, it has almost become a sacrosanct to use their own cartilage which can be derived from their own nose, behind the ear, or in rare instances the rib or hip.
Going back to African-Americans, they also tend to have wider, flaring nostrils which are more apparent when they smile. During rhinoplasty, this certain feature should not be completely eradicated to make the result aesthetically appealing and in harmony with their ethnic features.
In fact, Smaili believes that a slight nostril flare looks flattering, more often than not, to African-Americans.
“Contrary to some belief, rhinoplasty does not aim to westernize an African-American’s face. In fact, the procedure is now even use to further emphasize their African heritage,” the plastic surgeon said.
Cosmetic Surgery Blogger @ February 12, 2012