What You Should Know About Liquid Nose Jobs

Cosmetic procedures for your face are among the most popular medical treatments. People remake their appearances with everything from Botox injections to complete "mommy makeovers," in which you get multiple procedures done in one sitting. Rhinoplasties, or nose jobs, have historically been one of the most common plastic surgery treatments. They are still among the top 5 treatments undergone today.

Nowadays, you don't need a full surgical rhinoplasty to make small changes to your nose. Doctors can use injectable fillers to refine the shape of your nose without operating. You can see the results right away, and the cost is affordable.

Is a liquid nose job right for you? Learn more to find out.

What Is a Liquid Nose Job?

‌Liquid nose procedures are different from surgical ones in a few ways.

Surgical rhinoplasty. If you choose to get a traditional rhinoplasty, you undergo an operation to reshape your nose. You will need general anesthesia for the surgery. Your doctor will cut open the skin around your nose and use surgical tools to reshape the bones and cartilage beneath the skin. 

After the procedure, your face will be swollen and bruised. You may have significant post-surgical pain, and you will need to take time off work to recover. The swelling may last for weeks, and it will take time to see how the final result looks.

Liquid rhinoplasty. Liquid rhinoplasty is an alternative to surgery. With a liquid procedure, your doctor injects dermal fillers under the skin of your nose. Using the precise placement of the fillers, your doctor can even out bumps, balance asymmetry, and sculpt a different shape for your nose. The results are immediately visible, and there is no recovery time. However, some people experience minor pain or bruising at the injection site. The procedure takes very little time and can be done in a doctor's office.

The cost of a liquid procedure is a fraction of what a surgical rhinoplasty costs. Surgical nose jobs cost an average of $5000. The average price of a liquid nose job is $1000.


What Can a Liquid Nose Job Do?

A liquid nose job is good for making minor changes to the appearance of your nose. Doctors can use filler to lessen the appearance of a dorsal hump or make a nose look straighter. Some people ask for fillers to refine the results of a previous surgical nose job rather than having another operation to fix a small detail.

You’ll be awake during the procedure so you can see the results of each filler placement. You and your doctor can work together to achieve the desired result. If you don't like the way the filler looks, your doctor can use a different solution to dissolve the filler and reverse the change.

Unlike a surgical nose job, a liquid nose job can’t make a nose smaller. By its very nature, a nose job using injectables adds volume to the nose. A liquid nose job also cannot correct breathing problems.

What Are the Risks of a Liquid Nose Job?

One of the downsides to a liquid nose job is that it isn’t permanent. Injectable fillers last from a few months to a year. After that, your body absorbs them. Your nose will look the way it did before you made changes to it.

You can have new fillers injected to replace the ones that have worn off. However, some doctors recommend against doing follow-up liquid nose jobs after the effects of the first one wear off since there is a chance that it can damage the skin and blood vessels. If you like the results, you may want to consider getting surgery to make the changes permanent.

One significant risk of a liquid nose job is complications if the filler is injected into a blood vessel. This can damage the vessel and disrupt the blood supply to the skin around your nose, which can lead to the skin in the area dying. You would need additional procedures to manage that complication.

In severe cases, the filler can get into a blood vessel that supplies blood to one of your eyes. This can result in blindness or reduced vision.

If you’re thinking about a liquid nose job, you should look for an experienced doctor. Because of the risks of complications that can involve your eyesight, it's essential to find a doctor who understands the anatomy of the face and the blood vessels around your nose and eyes.

WebMD Medical Reference



American Society of Plastic Surgeons: "2020 Plastic Surgery Statistics," "Rhinoplasty Cost," "What are the steps of a rhinoplasty procedure?" "What is liquid rhinoplasty?"

ENT Today: "Liquid Rhinoplasty: How to Make Patients Aware of the Risks."

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology: "Ocular complications of soft tissue filler injections: A review of literature."

Town&Country: "Everything to You Need to Know When Considering a Non-Surgical Nose Job."

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