The non-surgical rhinoplasty is probably one of the most common non-invasive cosmetic procedures done today. A quick, virtually painless alternative to the surgical nose job, the risks are lower and there is very minimal, if not, zero downtime. Non-surgical nose enhancements can be done using dermal fillers (touted the ‘liquid rhinoplasty’) or nose threads, but do you know which one you should choose?
1. NOSE FILLERS – THE LIQUID RHINOPLASTY
Dermal fillers can be used to lift the nose bridge or to refine the nose tip. This comes packaged in a syringe and is injected directly into areas that your doctor wants to modify. Hyaluronic acid fillers are most commonly used, being dissolvable easily if there is a need to. Once injected, they are slowly broken down by the body over the following months, and last on average 9 to 18 months.
Being an injectable, nose fillers can be used to hide a bump on the nose, or make it less visible. It can also be cleverly used to straighten a crooked nose. What nose fillers can’t do is make the nose smaller, although it can certainly give a problematic nose bridge or tip more definition.
2. NOSE THREADLIFT
Nose threadlifts such as the Infinity Nose Lift are done in 15 to 30 minutes, similar to nose fillers. These slender “threads” are made from material used for surgical sutures and are inserted gently under the skin of the nose using a blunt cannula. Nose threads dissolve away on average approximately 9 months but it stimulates a collagen production (modestly) during this period, so results are somewhat long-lasting.
WHICH IS BETTER – NOSE THREADLIFT OR NOSE FILLERS?
Bumps on nose are almost impossible to conceal with nose threads. Because nose fillers can be shaped, they are also better to correct a crooked nose. Nose fillers migrate a little, and can result in a wide nose bridge or larger nose if too much is injected into the bridge or the tip. An important point – this means that larger noses might not look too good with nose fillers.
The fixed form of nose threads creates a sharper nose and a more refined nose tip. Nose threads do not migrate, so the augmented nose bridge is more slender-looking (and some argue, slightly more perfect-looking, because it can look like an implant). Like nose fillers, nose threads are for nose reshaping – they do not actually make a nose smaller.
One of the biggest advantage of nose threads compared to nose fillers is that there is virtually no risk of blindness and skin necrosis – risks due to filler particles blocking small vessels which supply the skin and the eyes. There is however, a small risk of thread extrusion, which is usually resolved by removing the extruded thread.
Whichever procedure you choose, the non-surgical nose job gives a more defined nose which is still natural-looking!