Liquid Rhinoplasty: How to Make Patients Aware of the Risks

Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty

A surgical rhinoplasty typically costs thousands of dollars, and full healing of the nose and face post-procedure may take as long as six weeks. In contrast, a liquid rhinoplasty may cost $1,500 or less. Results are instantaneous, and patients can return to their usual activities immediately.

Liquid rhinoplasty cannot, however, minimize or substantially alter the nose. “Any time you are contouring the nose using fillers, you’re actually augmenting the nose or face,” said Sam P. Most, MD, professor and chief of the division of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif.

And while it’s possible to minimize a dorsal hump by injecting fillers above and below, the aesthetic outcome isn’t always pleasing. “I’ve seen pictures on Instagram and elsewhere where the nose has been filled up until it’s almost even with the forehead,” Dr. Most said. “The hump is gone, but the nose is massive.”

Fortunately for those who undergo a less-than-ideal liquid rhinoplasty, the effects of a non-surgical rhinoplasty are temporary. If a patient is unhappy with the results, the physician can dissolve the filler and return the nose to its pre-procedure appearance.

In most cases, the results of a non-surgical rhinoplasty will last about a year, depending on the filler used. “Hyaluronic acid injectables, such as Restylane and Juvederm, last about six months to a year. The calcium-based ones last longer, about a year to a year-and-a-half,” Dr. Most said.

Liquid rhinoplasty can be repeated, but doing so raises the overall cost and increases the risk of complications. “If you keep doing it over and over again, it tends to have a detrimental effect on the skin,” Dr. Dayan said. If patients are pleased with the result of their non-surgical rhinoplasty, it may be in their best interest to book a surgical rhinoplasty sooner rather than later, so they can maintain the look they want without repeatedly subjecting themselves to the risks of liquid rhinoplasty.

Non-surgical rhinoplasty is often used to tweak the results of surgical rhinoplasty. “There’s always some little thing that’s not 100% right with rhinoplasty, a little indentation or whatever. Fillers allow you to make it perfect without going back to surgery,” Dr. Kontis said. “Why do a whole rhinoplasty over again when you can put just a little touch of filler in there and make them totally happy?” Of course, to maintain the effect, the patient would need to get injections regularly.