Dr. Serhan Derin, born in 1982, is a seasoned ENT specialist who graduated from Ankara University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Kocaeli University in 2010. Dr. Derin is a highly skilled surgeon specializing in functional and cosmetic nose surgeries, including Primary Rhinoplasty, Revision Rhinoplasty, Ethnic Rhinoplasty, Septoplasty, Septorhinoplasty, Nasal Valve Surgery, and Sinus Surgery.
Surgery to change one’s nose shape to make it more beautiful or to function better could be more interesting than you have noticed so far. We nosed out the internet from A to Z and found interesting rhinoplasty facts for you.
We will take a look at the gender and age distribution, ethnic diversity, and yearly numbers of nose surgeries in the United States and around the world. Additionally, we will dive into the history of rhinoplasty, its future, the breakdown of ethnicity, age range, and the difficulty of the surgery.
A cup of coffee is recommended before reading so as not to miss anything. Here, we have the facts about rhinoplasty. Let’s nose it up!
Rhinoplasty interesting facts
There are lots of rhinoplasty surgeries that are performed every year all around the world, for every different ethnicity and every age group, with many different reasons behind them. We are here to give you some facts about this delicate yet, so popular surgery.
Before starting we would like to give you some snacks. Here are some fast facts about rhinoplasty:
- The recovery from the surgery takes 2-3 months, but actual results can be seen only after a year.
- You do not have to get a surgical operation to change your nose shape; non-surgical options use dermal fillers, botox, or thread lifts to achieve similar results.
- Recovery from rhinoplasty surgery is not painful as opposed to what so many people assume.
- Recently people started to look for natural-looking results in rhinoplasty surgeries, rather than noticeable changes.
- The foundation of nose aesthetic surgeries is formed by the studies carried out to repair damaged noses, such as those that are broken, burned, or split.
- Although it is not possible to make your nose look the same as before, rhinoplasty is considered reversible.
- Most people get their surgery done in the winter and enjoy it in the summer. That way they do not have to worry about dry and hot air during their recovery period.
- The first modern rhinoplasty documentation was written by John Orlando Roe.
- Although it is a cosmetic procedure, you can get a nose job surgery for medical issues too.
- Yearly, almost 881 hours are spent in the operation room.
These were just quick glances at the rhinoplasty facts in general. If you are considering leaving the page already, you should see the next heading first. Don’t you wonder how many operations are performed in a year?
Rhinoplasty facts with magical numbers
Did you know the most common dissatisfaction motivation in rhinoplasty, for both men and women, is insufficient hump reduction. How do we know this? Because we checked many yearly reports. It is time to talk about the rhinoplasty facts with numbers. Every year almost all around the world rhinoplasty surgeries are being performed.
Check out the numbers we gathered for you from a huge data collection pile.
The given data for “Ethnic Diversity”, “The money spend in 2020”, and “Yearly nose surgery numbers” only represent the U.S., not the whole world.
Rhinoplasty fun facts
We know this whole data may seem a bit boring, but we also like you to have fun. That is why we prepared these facts for you in the most enjoyable way. Here are the rhinoplasty fun facts:
- Some people use prosthesis noses for incurable diseases. So while doing “Got your nose!” be more careful. These noses actually represent the real ones so well.
- Whether you are a liar or not your nose grows as you age, isn’t it? In fact, not just your nose but also your ears look as if they are getting bigger. However, that is the gravity that makes your skin baggy.
- Rhinoplasty may create conflicts between spouses. There was this woman who had a nose job and did not like the results, blaming her fiancé for being objective. He just said “You look better”, although getting the surgery was her idea.
- Some people actually thought of getting their nose broken for free nose surgery. We know you would not try it, but just in case, it is extremely painful and your insurance does not cover that.
Rhinoplasty in ancient times
The first recorded surgery in history belongs to a reconstruction surgery of a King’s sister. That was a time when people were punished as their noses were removed. King’s sister was a victim of this situation and he ordered his physicians to fix his sister’s nose. According to the records, this happened around 3000 years ago. The technique was basically using a flap of skin to cover the nose. The same technique was also believed to be used for the first time by Indians as well (2).
We also see Da Vinci picturing the nose and facial structure in general in light of these developments around the 16th century. Thanks to his contributions, we can say that nose surgeries have been revitalized.
Later, as we come to the 18th century, we begin to see significant developments in nasal aesthetics, along with the name Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach. Johann made significant contributions to nasal aesthetic surgery because he believed that plastic surgery required a sculptor’s sensitivity and demonstrated this through his work.
As we approach our time, we come across John Orlando Roe, whom many refer to as ‘the Father of Rhinoplasty‘. Thanks to his reconstructive work on soldiers with facial injuries during World War I, he became a pioneer of many techniques still used today.
Future of rhinoplasty
With the advancements in technology and increased accessibility to complex surgeries, one might assume that rhinoplasty procedures will become much easier. While the developments of the last few decades in rhinoplasty cannot disprove this assumption, the future of this surgical field may not be as clear-cut. What if there was a way to change your nose shape before you were even born?
This possibility of gene manipulation, while ethically controversial, could make it feasible to modify genes to achieve the desired facial features. The nose is a delicate organ with various genes affecting its size, shape, orientation, and position (3). To address these complexities, a simple algorithm utilizing artificial intelligence might be able to calculate everything for us.
Scientists have already begun utilizing artificial intelligence to identify diseases such as cancer by analyzing data from sick individuals (4). Therefore, why not apply the same concept to nose shape analysis? The future is mysterious, and who knows if this is just the beginning of a distant possibility.
Ethnicity breakdown
While different ethnicities all around the world can get a rhinoplasty operation to make their nose look better. Based on their common features, there are 5 ethnic groups piled together; Caucasians, Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Middle Eastern people. You can see lots of different variations within these groups. Who knows, maybe we will see lots of other ethnic groups on this list. Here is the ethnicity breakdown of the rhinoplasty procedure:
- Caucasians: 71%
- Hispanics: 10%
- Asians: 11%
- African-Americans: 5%
- Other groups: 3%
Age range
There is an age limit in rhinoplasty if one wants to have cosmetic rhinoplasty, because of structural concerns. As the human body constantly renews itself so does your nose, and around 16-17 ages this facial growth slowdown. That is the time when you can ask for cosmetic nose job surgery. However functional rhinoplasty can be applied to any age group even to babies with a birth defect. Especially if they have a cleft palate.
This condition called cleft palate calls for a rhinoplasty operation to fix. It is generally not a single-focused surgery but a combination of rhinoplasty with other reconstructive surgeries. You can google it to see the pictures but let us warn you that the condition might seem a bit disturbing for some.
Almost the hardest cosmetic surgery ever
Rhinoplasty is a highly complex surgical procedure that requires addressing multiple issues simultaneously, namely form and function. The primary challenge of the surgery lies in the intricate structure of the nose. To achieve the desired outcome, a skilled surgeon must follow a series of precise steps.
It’s worth noting that reconstructive rhinoplasty procedures are among the most challenging in the field. Only plastic surgeons with years of experience can handle such operations, which involve rebuilding or even creating a nose on one’s face.
Moreover, the closed approach, a technique that involves making internal incisions in the nasal cavity, is also considered one of the hardest techniques in the field. Unlike the open approach, where the entire nose structure is visible to the surgeon, closed rhinoplasty calls for an experienced surgeon who can skillfully navigate the internal nasal passages.
Finally, revision surgeries are another significant challenge in rhinoplasty. In such cases, the surgeon must address whatever went wrong in the previous surgery, making the procedure even more complex and demanding.
References:
(1): Khan N, Rashid M, Khan I, et al. Satisfaction in Patients After Rhinoplasty Using the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation Questionnaire. Cureus. 2019;11(7):e5283. Published 2019 Jul 30. doi:10.7759/cureus.5283 Link
(2): Suri H, Somayaji G. Chronicles of rhinoplasty.Arch Med Health Sci 2020;8:154-8. Link
(3): Adhikari K. (2016 May 25), How we found the genes that control nose shape – and what they say about us [Blog post], theconversation.com Link
(4): Sankar A. (2020 August 20) The Role of AI in Gene Technology [Blog Post], Young Scientist Journal Link