What Is Rhinoplasty—and What Can It Change?

Rhinoplasty Education · 7-minute read

Published by NDV MEDPhysician-led patient educationUpdated August 25, 2026

Rhinoplasty, commonly called nose surgery or a nose job, is a surgical procedure that changes the shape, size, or proportions of the nose.

Because the nose sits at the center of the face, even a carefully measured adjustment can influence the appearance of the entire profile. Successful rhinoplasty is not simply about making the nose higher, smaller, or sharper. It is about creating better balance while preserving the features that make you recognizable.

What Can Rhinoplasty Address?

Depending on your anatomy and goals, rhinoplasty may help improve:

• A flat or low nasal bridge
• A wide, rounded, drooping, or bulbous nasal tip
• Wide or uneven nostrils
• A prominent hump along the bridge
• A crooked or asymmetrical nose
• Changes caused by an injury or previous treatment

The procedure may involve reshaping the nasal bone and cartilage, refining the tip, adjusting the nostrils, or adding structural support using an appropriate cartilage graft or implant.

Rhinoplasty Materials: What Are the Options?

Not every rhinoplasty requires an implant. The appropriate option depends on how much augmentation or support is needed, your existing nasal structure, skin thickness, previous treatments, and personal preferences.

What Does Implant “Rejection” Mean?

“Rejection” is a term patients often use for different implant-related problems. Research does not report one universal rhinoplasty rejection rate.

Studies instead measure specific complications such as infection, implant exposure, extrusion, displacement, deviation, warping, resorption, or the need to remove or replace an implant.

Cartilage taken from your own septum, ear, or rib is not normally rejected through the immune process associated with organ transplantation. However, cartilage can still become infected, shift, warp, partially resorb, or create a contour irregularity.

What Do Published Studies Report?

• A meta-analysis of polymer-based synthetic nasal implants reported pooled rates of 2.75% for overall complications, 1.91% for infection, 0.72% for deviation, 0.70% for irregularity, 0.78% for extrusion, and 6.40% for revision surgery. ³
• A Philippine study of 1,054 Southeast Asian patients receiving ePTFE bridge augmentation reported infection in 0.38%, deviation in 1.04%, and an overall undesirable-outcome rate of 2.28%. ¹
• A meta-analysis of 1,648 autologous rib-cartilage rhinoplasty patients reported pooled rates of 3.05% for warping, 1.45% for infection, 1.20% for resorption, 1.53% for contour irregularity, and 2.25% for revision surgery. ²
• A separate meta-analysis found lower overall complication and secondary-surgery rates with autologous cartilage than with silicone implants. Cartilage nevertheless has its own potential graft and donor-site complications. ⁴

Published rates describe groups of patients and cannot predict an individual result. Risk varies according to patient anatomy, material selection, surgical technique, previous treatments, healing, aftercare, follow-up duration, and how each study defines a complication.

How Does NDV MED Choose the Appropriate Option?

There is no single best implant or cartilage graft for every patient. The NDV MED doctors consider:

• The amount of augmentation required
• Skin thickness and soft-tissue coverage
• The strength of the existing nasal framework
• Whether the tip, bridge, or both require correction
• Available septal or ear cartilage
• Previous surgery, nose threads, or fillers
• Your preference regarding synthetic materials
• Your willingness to accept a cartilage donor site
• The risks, limitations, and cost of each option

Some patients may need no implant. Others may benefit from their own septal, ear, or rib cartilage, a synthetic bridge implant, or a carefully planned combination.

Your doctors will explain why a particular material is being recommended before you decide whether to proceed.

Every Rhinoplasty Should Be Different

There is no single nose shape that suits every face.

At NDV MED, treatment planning begins with your anatomy. Our doctors consider the relationship between your nose, chin, lips, cheeks, forehead, and overall profile before recommending a procedure.

We also listen carefully to what you want—and what you do not want—to change.

The objective is not to give you someone else’s nose. It is to create a result that looks balanced, natural, and appropriate for your features.

Is Rhinoplasty Right for Everyone?

Rhinoplasty may be appropriate if:

• Your facial growth is complete
• You are generally healthy enough for surgery
• You have a specific concern about your nose
• You want a structural or lasting change
• You understand that healing takes time
• You have realistic expectations about the outcome
• You are choosing surgery for yourself

Suitability can only be determined after a personal medical assessment.

In some cases, a non-surgical treatment may be more appropriate. In others, the safest recommendation may be to postpone treatment or not proceed at all.

Begin With an Informed Consultation

You do not need to know which implant or cartilage graft you want before visiting NDV MED.

Simply tell us what concerns you, what treatments you have previously received, and what you hope to improve. Our doctors will assess your anatomy, explain the appropriate options, and help you understand what can realistically be achieved.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

Schedule a Rhinoplasty Consultation at NDV MED ↗

Individual results and recommendations vary. A medical consultation is required to determine suitability.