Nose Jobs and Rhinoplasties for Wide Noses

Side-by-side images of a person. The left image is labeled "Before" and shows the person with a slightly fuller face and less defined jawline. The right image is labeled "After" and shows the person with a more slimmed-down face and a more defined jawline.

As a rhinoplasty expert in Charlotte,  patients commonly come to my office with the chief concern of a wide or a bulbous nose. The ideal nose blends with the remainder of the facial features. If the nose is too wide or bulbous for the face, it can distract from the beautiful features of the face including the eyes, smile, and skin. The goal of rhinoplasty is to create a natural result where people look like better versions of themselves, but they do not look different. This is accomplished by improving balance and proportions.

The most common descriptions that patients use coming in with concerns of a bulbous or wide nose are:

  1. An overly round or bulbous tip
  2. Wide nose
  3. Large and/or wide nostrils
  4. Droopy tip
  5. Too much “tissue” in the tip area
  6. “Fat” nose

What are the causes of a bulbous or wide nose?

There are many causes of a bulbous or wide nose. The nose is composed of bone, cartilage, and skin. All three of these components of the nose can contribute to a wide nose lacking definition.

How can the nasal bone contribute to a wide nose?

The nasal bones make up the top aspect of the nose. Fullness is created in this area in two ways:

  1. Nasal bones being too wide
  2. Nasal bones lacking height

If the nasal bones are wide on the face, they will cause increased width near the eye region. Wide nasal bones require a surgical adjustment to be brought closer together. Other times the nasal bones do not have adequate height, and the nose does not come out far enough from the face. This will also create a flat area in the nasal bone region that contributes to the appearance of a wide nose. To improve this, this area needs to be augmented so the nose comes out farther from the face.

How does the nasal cartilage create a bulbous nose?

The cartilage makes up the nose tip region. There are three features of nasal cartilages that can create a bulbous tip:

  1. Too much cartilage on the nose tip
  2. Rounded cartilage requiring nose tip refinement
  3. Mal position cartilage

If there is too much cartilage in the nose tip then a conservative amount of cartilage needs to be removed. If the cartilage is overly rounded, there are multiple techniques to create more angulation. If the cartilage isn’t properly positioned, it can be moved into a better orientation.

How can the skin create a wide bulbous nose?

The skin can create a wider bulbous nose in two ways:

  1. Skin is overly thick
  2. Too much skin creating wide nostrils

The skin on the tip of the nose can either be thin, medium, or thick. If the skin on the end of the nose is thick, it limits the definition in the tip.  The thick skin will contribute to the bulbosity of the tip. This is very common in ethnic noses. In this situation, the skin on the tip of the nose will need to be thinned to create more definition.

Some patients have an overly wide base of their nose creating wide nostrils. This is due to too much skin of the nostril region. To make the nostrils and nose smaller, this area of skin would need to be removed during a procedure called an alar base reduction. During this process, the excess skin of the nostril is removed.  The incision is hidden in the crease of the nose where the nose meets the cheek. To learn more about rhinoplasty for a wide nose, visit ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


How will a patient know what size nose will look good on their face?

It is hard to effectively communicate ideal goals and results from a rhinoplasty procedure. I believe it is vitally important to undergo an exercise called imaging morphing to create the ideal goal or result. During this process, professional images are taken of the face and uploaded into imaging software. In this software, I can change the shape of your nose to effectively communicate the ideal goal result to create an increased definition or narrowness of the nose. This is the best way to identify the amount of change needed to create a nose that blends with your facial shape.

Why choose Dr. Kulbersh for a rhinoplasty?

As a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon, I am solely focused on the aesthetic and functional treatment of the face and nose. Rhinoplasty is one of the most common procedures that I do, and I do it on a regular basis. I believe this experience and repetition allows me to create exceptional results. I would encourage patients to look at my before-and-after pictures on my website, and also look at real patient experiences on the multiple review sites on the Internet. I’ve created an all-inclusive center in the Southpark region of Charlotte where patients can have their consultation, surgery, and recovery in one location. This provides the highest level of care, privacy, and safety.

Schedule Your Rhinoplasty Today At Our Charlotte Office

If you’re interested in learning more about rhinoplasty for a wider bulbous nose in Charlotte, please call (704) 323 – 5090 or fill out the online consultation form here.

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