Perception of size reduction after non-surgical augmentation rhinoplasty: Retrospective analysis of 116 cases

Abstract

Introduction: Traditionally, lowering the dorsum is the only method of hump correction. Rare series point to raising the radix as a possible solution. What explains this massive predominance of the reduction procedure? Ineffectiveness of radix and tip augmentation methods? Big nose perception with augmentation procedures? Our objectives are to determine if the perception of reduction occurs in non-surgical rhinoplasty (NSR), performed exclusively with volume addition, and if the perception of reduction is important in NSR. Method: Retrospective analysis of 116 consecutive patients undergoing NSR. The patients’ images were analyzed by 12 independent observers who evaluated the perceived changes in the nose’s size and the correction’s quality, giving scores from 1 to 10 for both questions. As for size, 1 represented much smaller than before, 5 same size (neutrality), and 10 much larger than before. The quality of correction was graded from 1 to 10. Results: 92 cases (79%) were considered size reduction, while 20 cases (17%) were considered enlargement. There was a perception of a reduction in the average size scores (4.71). The mean correction quality was 8.28 on a scale of 1 to 10. Furthermore, our results suggest that there may be an indirect correlation between perceived size and correction quality. Conclusion: The increase provided by the NSR can cause a perception of a reduction in the size of the nose, and the degree of perceived reduction can be directly related to the degree of perceived quality of the correction.

Keywords

• rhinoplasty
• dermal fillers
• size perception
• reconstructive surgical procedures
• hyaluronic acid