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Recently I was asked about performing rhinoplasty on older patients at my St. Petersburg practice. While the common impression might be that patients who undergo rhinoplasty (also known as nose jobs or nasal reshaping) are younger females, that is not a rule. In fact, I frequently see patients in their 60s who want improvements made to their nasal shape. As our face ages, our nasal structure ages as well. How does this work? Let’s find out!

What Happens to Your Nose as You Age?

As the nose ages, many people notice some of the following changes:

• Cartilage on the bridge, or dorsum, of the nose gets weaker
• The skin starts to thicken, especially on the tip where there are more sebaceous or oil glands
• The tip of the nose counter-rotates and drops

These changes create special problems in an aging patient. The skin is the main issue usually. Years of sun damage, weakening of collagen, thickening of glands, and drooping structure result in an aged appearance to the nose.

Ways To Correct the Aging Nose

Fortunately, there are ways to improve the shape of the nose with rhinoplasty. This involves a nose job or rhinoplasty using an open approach. You can learn more about the differences between open and closed rhinoplasty in my earlier blog post.

During this open rhinoplasty, the skin is lifted, and the tip and bridge cartilagenous structure is strengthened with grafting. The skin may be thinned to counter the effects of aging. These maneuvers can leave a rejuvenated, stronger, and more attractive nasal profile.

How Do You Reverse Other Facial Aging?

Of course, the nose isn’t the only facial feature that changes appearance as we age. Some of my patients are also interested in other forms of facial rejuvenation, such as eyelid surgery or a neck lift, and they wonder if we can combine a rhinoplasty with one of those procedures. The good news is that we can combine the procedures in many cases. Combining procedures has the advantage of involving only one recovery period and providing more dramatic results.

Which Doctor Is Best for Rhinoplasty?

Because the nose is central to the way your face appears, you should carefully select your rhinoplasty surgeon. I am a board-certified ENT and plastic surgeon, and I’ve published more than 20 peer-reviewed plastic surgery articles on rhinoplasty, facelift, and breast surgery.

As you consult with plastic surgeons for your rhinoplasty, it’s important to ask how experienced they are with the procedure. I perform rhinoplasty surgeries frequently and on patients of various ethnicities and ages. To see more before-and-after photos of my rhinoplasty patients, browse through my online photo gallery.

Rhinoplasty patients come from Tampa, Clearwater, and even around the country to my St. Petersburg, FL, plastic surgery practice. If you’re ready to have the nose of your dreams, request a consultation online or call my office at (727) 289-7119 to schedule an appointment.