What Is Ethnic Rhinoplasty?
Ethnic rhinoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure performed to improve the aesthetics of the nose while factoring the patient’s ethnic identity into the changes being made. Unlike traditional rhinoplasty, which is generally modeled around the features and aesthetic preferences of a Caucasian person, ethnic rhinoplasty focuses on preserving and enhancing the heritage of the non-Caucasian patient. Dr. Sturm is an expert in facial plastic surgery who specializes in rhinoplasty procedures, and throughout her career, she has refined her ethnic rhinoplasty technique. She is able to significantly improve the nasal shape and proportions without minimizing or eliminating the patient’s ethnic features.
Dr. Sturm specializes primarily in two specific types of ethnic rhinoplasty:
African-American Rhinoplasty
Because African-Americans are a very diverse ethnic group, African-American rhinoplasty can be a complex procedure requiring expertise and attention to detail. Although African-Americans can possess a wide range of nasal characteristics, African-American rhinoplasty is most frequently performed to correct several specific cosmetic issues, including the following:
- Wide nasal tip
- Wide nostrils
- Wide and/or low nasal bridge
These issues can often disrupt the patient’s facial proportions. However, traditional rhinoplasty can potentially overcorrect these issues to create a nose that’s too narrow or small for the individual’s face. With ethnic rhinoplasty in Houston, Dr. Sturm will instead keep the adjustments natural to preserve the patient’s African-American heritage while enhancing their facial aesthetics and harmony.
Hispanic Rhinoplasty
With Hispanic rhinoplasty, the key is recognizing that people tend to have different nasal features depending on which Latin American country they originate from. In most cases, Hispanic noses tend to have thicker skin than Caucasian noses with broader nasal tips. Some of the aesthetic issues that Hispanic patients are most often looking to correct with ethnic rhinoplasty include the following:
- Wide nostrils
- Weak nasal tip cartilage
- Wide nasal bridge
- Pronounced bump on the nasal bridge
- Bulbous nasal tip
To perform a successful Hispanic rhinoplasty, Dr. Sturm will often make subtle adjustments to the nasal tip and/or subtly narrow the base of the nose. However, these changes need to carefully refine the structure of the nose without being overly dramatic. They also need to take into account the patient’s country of origin as well as the thickness and oiliness of the skin.
