One of the most common plastic surgery procedures, rhinoplasty is performed to reshape, reduce or augment a person’s nose, remove a hump, narrow nostril width, change the angle between the nose and the mouth, or to correct injury, birth defects, or other problems that affect breathing. Rhinoplasty is usually an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia and lasts one to two hours.
Before the nose is altered, a young patient must reach full growth, usually around age fifteen or sixteen. Many patients have chin augmentation in conjunction with rhinoplasty to create a better balance of features.