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.
As it is a worldwide procedure now, there are lots of people looking to get their noses done with rhinoplasty. Since the procedure is so popular, now you have different options to choose between one of them is a less invasive procedure liquid rhinoplasty.
While it is possible to get nicely shaped and well-contoured nasal lines with liquid or surgical rhinoplasty some people might be in the middle of a decision. Both of them come with lots of pros and cons and you might be confused about your options. Do not worry though we are here to help. In this article, we will cover all you need to know about liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty.
Differences between liquid and surgical rhinoplasty
The main difference between liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty is invasiveness.
Liquid rhinoplasty is a minimal procedure that only gives you needle incisions to shape your nose and there is no recovery time. On the other hand, surgical rhinoplasty is a huge operation that comes with a recovery timeline afterward.
Both can create lots of changes over your nose like aligning your nostrils, flattening a dorsal bump, or defining your tip. While slight subtle changes are possible with either liquid or surgical procedures, major alterations are only achieved with a surgical one. Especially functional concerns are best addressed with surgery.
If you are in doubt and looking for a way to improve your nose shape with the right procedure this table should help you. For further details, we explained all of them down below.
| Liquid rhinoplasty | Surgical rhinoplasty | |
| The results are visible | Instantly | After a while |
| Invasiveness | Not invasive | Pretty much invasive |
| There is a recovery period | No | Yes |
| Your nose will change | For a period of time | For good |
| The capacity of surgery | Only makes slight changes | Can make major changes |
| Breathing issues are | Slightly covered | Mostly covered |
| The cost | Expensive in the long term | Expensive in the short term |
Now that we mentioned all the changes above let’s dive into the details of all of them.
Results
The time you spend for each procedure hugely differs. First of all the results are instantly visible in liquid while it takes some time in surgical rhinoplasty. Secondly, most of the time surgical rhinoplasty procedure takes almost a month from your life but gives you lifelong results. On the other hand, a liquid rhinoplasty procedure takes no more than a day but the results are not lifelong.
Invasiveness
Liquid rhinoplasty is less invasive than surgical rhinoplasty. In liquid rhinoplasty, you only experience the injection of a needle and that is all. On the other hand, the surgical nose job is pretty much invasive. They use different tools and make incisions and work inside your nose structure.
Recovery
The liquid procedure only includes the filler injections and leaves no scar requiring only a day of downtime at most (1). On the other hand, you will have stitches and scarring that needs to heal after a surgical procedure. One should expect an approximate week of downtime after a surgical rhinoplasty.
Expectations
While short-term expectations are satisfying with a liquid procedure, the only way to achieve a permanent solution is to get a traditional rhinoplasty. Besides the capacity of each procedure hugely differs. Between liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty, slight changes are covered by a liquid nose job, while major ones may require surgery. The same situation is seen in breathing issues as well.
The money
Having a perfectly shaped nose should be amazing but also expensive. With liquid rhinoplasty, it is possible to have it for an affordable price but the procedure needs to be repeated in the long term. While surgical rhinoplasty costs more, repeating the procedure is not necessary to sustain the same look.
The good, the bad, and the in-between: liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty
Both liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty procedures give you wonderful results, but are they the results that you expect to see?
Whether you choose liquid or surgical rhinoplasty you might experience some disappointments. Or maybe you do not? It is always your right to know every aspect of each procedure to understand which one suits your needs best.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each procedure. These will help you clear your mind about which procedure is better for your situation.
Pros of liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty
Liquid rhinoplasty and surgical rhinoplasty come with lots of advantages within themselves. While choosing which one is suitable for your needs first you might wanna hear the pros of each procedure.
The pros of liquid rhinoplasty:
- Gives you no recovery time
- You can see your beautifully shaped nose instantly
- It has fewer complication rates when performed by eligible providers
- You can shape your nose like it is naturally formed with subtle adjustments
And now here are the pros of surgical rhinoplasty:
- Shapes your nose in the most perfect way
- You do not need to repeat the procedure to sustain the same look
- Major alterations with slight changes are all possible
- Almost any breathing issue can be addressed
Cons of liquid vs surgical rhinoplasty
Of course, there are some downsizing aspects of each procedure as well. Some of them even make you rethink the procedure you decided on.
Here are the cons of liquid rhinoplasty:
- The results are temporary, you need to repeat the procedure to sustain the same look
- Some people might be allergic to the materials used in the procedure
- The FDA only approved the use of some specific fillers used in liquid rhinoplasty
- Neither can offer major changes nor address big functional issues
And now here are the cons of surgical rhinoplasty:
- You need to make a schedule since it is a bit long journey
- The results are not instant, nasal tapings are attached to your nose for a while
- The surgery is not simple and is invasive which involves lots of complications
- For a year you cannot have any other nose operation after surgery
As you can see there are lots of cons and pros of both procedures that you need to take into account before deciding on either of them. Speaking of decisions, are you still confused about your options? If you are asking what is better non surgical rhinoplasty or surgical rhinoplasty here is your answer.
What is better for me? Nonsurgical rhinoplasty or surgical rhinoplasty
Although the decision is yours, there are lots of aspects to consider between the two different procedures. On one side there is liquid rhinoplasty with fewer offerings not invasive at all. On the other hand, we have a surgical option that is perfect for major changes.
You might be a good candidate for liquid rhinoplasty if you are looking for:
- Minor changes
- Instant difference
- Short term results
- Cheaper option
With dermal filler injections, doctors can slightly correct minor asymmetries, widen your collapsing nostrils for better breathing, and augment your nose bridge if it is low in position (2). While considering liquid rhinoplasty keep in mind that the results will not last forever and need repetition, which can only cost cheaper in the short term.
You might be a good candidate for surgical rhinoplasty if you are looking for:
- Major changes
- A smaller nose
- Asymmetry correction
- Permanent results
With surgical rhinoplasty, surgeons have a variety of options that they can make major changes. While liquid cannot make your nose smaller, a surgical rhinoplasty can with asymmetry corrections. Besides the results are permanent and require no repetition.
We tried to explain which one can be a better option for your needs as both procedures have downsizing and appealing offers. Now as a final question that people wonder, can nonsurgical rhinoplasty do what surgery does?
Can nonsurgical rhinoplasty do what surgery does?
Yes, with the help of a nonsurgical rhinoplasty, you can achieve similar results to a surgical cosmetic procedure. Although traditional rhinoplasty comes with lots of pros than a non-surgical nose job, you can still expect to have smooth-edged, and well-defined contours on your nose with the help of this procedure.
Moreover, nonsurgical rhinoplasty has some advantages over surgery. As we mentioned before the nonsurgical rhinoplasty procedure gives temporary results but there is more. You can even expect to reverse the procedure if you are unsatisfied with the results. It is only achieved with hyaluronic acid fillers. Keep in mind that not all liquid nose procedures are performed with the same dermal fillers.
References:
(1) Johnson ON 3rd, Kontis TC. Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty. Facial Plast Surg. 2016;32(5):500-506. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1586209 Link
(2) Rohrich RJ, Agrawal N, Avashia Y, Savetsky IL. Safety in the Use of Fillers in Nasal Augmentation-the Liquid Rhinoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(8):e2820. Published 2020 Aug 18. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002820 Link
