Understanding the key difference in rhinoplasty for men and women

Rhinoplasty is one of the most personalized procedures in all of plastic surgery, if not the most bespoke. No nose is the same, and there are several factors that must be considered, from ethnicity to gender. But how does rhinoplasty for men and women differ?

We reached out to ASPS Member Surgeons Fadi Chahin, MD, FACS, and Richard Reish, MD, FACS, to do a deep dive into the differences in rhinoplasties for men and women.

Key anatomical differences for rhinoplasty

Men and women have essential differences in the structure of their faces and noses.

"Women often want a softer looking nose with a gentle slope and a nice, refined tip," said Dr. Reish. "In male rhinoplasty, men usually want a relatively straighter nose, not perfectly straight but relatively straighter. We don't want it to be quite as defined as a woman's nose."

Another difference is the thickness of the skin.

"Male patients tend to have thicker skin at the tip and will tend to have swelling for longer," said Reish. "I find steroid injections extremely effective in both men and women, but particularly in men. We need to get them in early in order to get the swelling down."

Commonalities between rhinoplasty patients

Regardless of gender, achieving facial balance is the aim.

"The first key factor to take into consideration when planning or performing gender specific rhinoplasty is that the goal is to maintain an aesthetic balance with his/her face," said Chahin. "Additional considerations that I always discuss with the patient are age and ethnicity. Some patients prefer to maintain an element of an ethnic look, while others wish to erase this all together."

Men and women may seek different results from a rhinoplasty, they both want the outcome to be undetectable.

"Most men, when they come into my office, will say that they still want to look masculine and like themselves, not like they've had a rhinoplasty," said Dr. Reish. "A lot of women will say they don't want to look surgical or overly done. However, both should have a natural look."

Additionally, both genders may also want to restore or improve their breathing.

"It's interesting that in both men and women, functional components are very important," said Reish. "They obviously both care about their breathing. With male patients, I hear a lot about previous nasal fractures. A lot of my male patients tend to have a little bit worse breathing problems prior to coming in, which can be due to previous traumatic or contact injuries. Although we see them in women as well, it's a little more common in men. Getting the breathing right is a crucial component in this type of surgery."

While there are many important aesthetic and anatomical differences between men and women for rhinoplasty, the objective remains the same – to achieve a symmetrical, refined nose that balances beautifully with the rest of their face and allows them to breathe easily.

"The main goal is to maintain appropriate functionality while providing the patient with an aesthetically pleasing end result," said Chahin. "This requires proper and realistic preoperative discussions with the patient to ensure that the results that he or she is looking to achieve is realistic."

To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics. Find an ASPS member in your area.