Ethnic Rhinoplasty Beverly Hills

According to statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for approximately 21 percent of all cosmetic procedures performed in 2011. Many of these patients opted for rhinoplasty. Ethnic rhinoplasty is one of Dr. Ghavami’s specialties and passions. Ethnic rhinoplasty subtly enhances the appearance of a person’s nose without trying to erase specific ethnic facial traits. Dr. Ghavami’s strength lies in preserving his patients’ unique ethnic heritage without completely “westernizing” their noses. Occasionally some patients will want more of a “designer nose job” and will request to have more Caucasian traits and Dr. Ghavami will address this appropriately with each individual to determine the course of action.

View Dr. Ghavami’s Rhinoplasty photo gallery here

Beverly Hills ethnic rhinoplasty is a large part of Dr. Ghavami’s practice and he has many years of experience with Hispanic rhinoplasty, Asian rhinoplasty, Middle Eastern rhinoplasty and African American rhinoplasty. Dr. Ghavami is one of the “go-to” invited lecturers on this topic at numerous international and national plastic surgery conferences, from Hawaii to Paris! He is well acquainted with the nuances of every ethnicity’s nasal features and has written textbook chapters and peer-reviewed scientific articles on the topic. It’s impossible to precisely characterize the features of a given ethnic group, but certain naso-facial patterns do exist within certain ethnicities. For example, African Americans rhinoplasty patients tend to have wide nostrils or a low nasal bridge; while many Middle Eastern rhinoplasty patients have a large dorsal hump (bridge) and a droopy nasal tip. The goal is always to allow the nose to not interfere with other facial features and to create improved facial harmony and balance.

Hispanic Rhinoplasty

Southern California has a strong Latino presence, and as a result there is a growing demand for Hispanic rhinoplasty. Many of Dr. Ghavami’s Hispanic rhinoplasty patients have thick nasal skin and a broad and bulbous nasal tip. This is just the tip of the nose iceberg and many other nuances exist in each patient’s nose. Some Hispanic patients have noses more related to the Spaniard counterparts such as large bridges with a hump, and bulbous tips. Many Latino patients with roots in more southern regions or the Caribbean can have very wide and flat tips and nostrils and a wide nasal bridge. Similar to African Americans, nostril shaping/narrowing as well as bridge augmentation with cartilage is required.

Asian Rhinoplasty

Dr. Ghavami’s Asian rhinoplasty patients usually have a flat nasal profile, subtle bridge and wide, rounded tip. Asian patients can opt for silicone augmentation of the bridge or natural augmentation with cartilage grafts and tissue. Dr. Ghavami will always customize the results so that the patient can seem like he or she was born with that nose! Dr. Ghavami does not believe in L-shaped silicone implants and has removed a lot of these in Asian patients, to replace them with the patient’s own cartilage. Similar to African American noses, the key with Asian noses is to not narrow the nostrils too much, to not pinch the tip and to not over-augment the bridge.

Middle Eastern Rhinoplasty

Dr. Ghavami’s Middle Eastern rhinoplasty patients will have different needs depending on their particular ethnicity (e.g., Persian, Armenian or Arab). He commonly treats Middle Eastern rhinoplasty patients with excessively large nasal profiles and bulbous, hanging nasal tips. Dr. Ghavami’s first article on Middle Eastern rhinoplasty can be found in our articles section. The key to rhinoplasty success with this ethnic group is creating balance with the eyes, lips, chin, brows and the nose, which is in the center of the triangle of facial beauty. It is very important to not remove too much from the bridge or raise the tip too high. This will results in an awkward, racial off-balance appearance. Customized tip shaping is critical, because once the bridge is reduced, the tip becomes the focal point.

African American Rhinoplasty

Many African Americans have a low nasal bridge, wide nostrils and thick nasal skin. Thick fatty tissue, combined with weak or thin cartilage in the nasal tip, can cause the nose to look bulbous, or swollen looking. An African American rhinoplasty treatment plan might include augmenting the bridge of the nose, narrowing the nostrils, and shaping the nasal tip while adding cartilage grafts. Dr. Ghavami’s preferred approach to augmenting the African American nasal bridge is cartilage from the septum and ears. Rarely is rib ever required in a primary rhinoplasty.

Anglo-Caucasian Rhinoplasty

The goal of many Caucasian rhinoplasty procedures is to smooth a hump on the bridge of the nose, make the nose smaller / less prominent, and/or refine the tip of the nose. The nasal skin is usually more retractile and elastic than it is in other ethnic groups. A thin nasal skin envelope demands that grafts be more limited and softened to avoid visibility where it is not desired. Thin skin is a blessing to work with in the hands of a skilled rhinoplasty specialist but can be a detriment if an inexperienced surgeon uses “cookie cutter” decision-making to shape the nose. This can lead to an artificial appearance by allowing “knuckles,” sharp cartilage and bony edges to show through the thin skin.

Contact Dr. Ghavami Today

Beverly Hills ethnic rhinoplasty surgeon Ashkan Ghavami would be happy to sit down with you during a one-on-one consultation and answer all of your questions. Please contact our practice today. Call or send us an email.