You may have noticed the trend on instagram, tik tok and other platforms of the non-surgical rhinoplasty, which is essentially dermal filler injected into the nose. But I’m slightly concerned about the frivolous nature with which this can be presented online. In my aesthetics clinic, which covers the surrounding towns and villages of Hartford, Northwich, Tarvin and Nantwich, I will today explain why this proceedure should NOT be taken lightly.

So is this procedure right for me?

The first thing I would say is does your nose bother you? Do you hate your side profile? Most people do not have a perfectly straight now from the front or side, but personally I feel that treatment is really only warranted if your nose is shaped such that it is a “distraction” to the rest of your face, or of course the shape of it causes you great psychological distress.

How can a nose be a “distraction??”

The nose should basically not be a focus on the face. Our eyes should look at another persons eyes mainly, and then lips and cheeks may also be a feature of the face that we look at. So if your nose is shaped such that a person can’t help but focus constantly on it when talking to you, or looking at you, then the nose is a “distracting” feature, and dermal filler may be right for you.

So what sort of nose shapes can be corrected?

The main shape that is corrected with dermal filler is a prominent dorsal hump - which is a noticeable raised in the cartilage in the middle of the nose, with dips either side, creating a “hump”.

However, shapes which can be improved with filler are beaked tips or drooping tips, flat or ill-defined tips, and very flat noses with little definition.

So what is the concern with this procedure?

Dermal filler to the nose is one of the riskiest areas to have treated - and this why I say the tiktok videos must be careful not to trivialise this. Cases of blindness and vascular occlusion are proportionally higher in this area than other areas of the face. There has been an unfortunate case recently of an under qualified injector who performed this procedure but didn’t correctly identify and treat a blocked artery and the patient is now in hospital with severe necrosis to the nose.

Arterial blockages, when filler essentially blocks an artery and hence stops the blood supply, can happen to anyone injecting the nose, but the key is understanding anatomy to a very high level and knowing what the safer areas the inject are, and MORE IMPORTANTLY knowing how to quickly and safely resolve any issues which involve prescription medications such as reversal enzymes, antibiotics, steroids etc.

That sounds scary - so should I undergo dermal filler to the nose, or a surgical rhinoplasty?

Yes there are risks as stated above with dermal filler, but actually the risks of surgery I would say are higher - surgery is irreversible, there will be severe swelling and bruising, there are risks of anaesthetic, infection and risk of dissatisfaction. So taking that all into account, having dermal filler instead of surgery may be a better option, but a good clinician should help you weigh up this decision.

In my clinic in Tarporley, near Harford and Northwich, I can offer a consultation to help guide you through this decision and ultimately, it should be of some reassurance that I do turn people away if I feel filler is not suitable or their expectations are unreasonable. This means I am not just performing a procedure to take profit, and remember as a doctor I am still heavily regulated by the GMC and we must always do what is in our patient’s best interests.

It is worth checking out who your injector is accountable to - is there any form of regulatory body? And if not then consider if you are happy to take that risk.

How many Non-surgical rhinoplasty have you performed?

I have performed hundreds of non- surgical rhinoplasty and am constantly refining my technique to make it safer - most recently spent a good chunk of a sunny Sunday sat in my office on a webinar, revisiting the anatomy in depth and learning how to further improve the safety of our injections and the outcome. I also regularly discuss this procedure with other top doctors at Skinviva where I also work, in Manchester.

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About Skinphinity

Skinphinity is a cosmetic practice in Tarporley, run by the cosmetic GP, Dr Adam Cheong. Dr Adam is a qualified GP, GMC registered doctor and specialist in non-surgical facial aesthetics. He is passionate about natural-looking enhancements and works hard to give the industry a good name, built on ethical, qualified and honest practices. 

Skinphinity provides a range of non-surgical aesthetic treatments for patients in Tarporley, Chester, Northwich, Hartford, Hale, Manchester and across Cheshire.