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With cosmetic nasal surgery in their older years, many people can look younger and feel better about themselves. The nose is likely the major factor in how you and others perceive your facial appearance, so even subtle surgical changes often can produce dramatic anti-aging and cosmetic effects. Rhinoplasty, as the operation is called, is becoming more common in older people from 50-70, and is not unheard of even in 80-year-olds.

An older patient seeking cosmetic nasal surgery requires and deserves special consideration on his or her own part as well as by the surgeon. Physical factors play a big role, but psychological factors are just as important. In general, younger people are more accepting of major changes in their appearance than seniors, and women are more accepting of these changes than men. If you’re over 50, it’s likely that you have gotten used to seeing the same face in the mirror. There’s a certain familiarity there, and a good strong nose should not be mistakenly swept away in a fit of mid-life housecleaning. Occasionally patients do not realize what they have given up until it is too late.

As an older patient considering rhinoplasty, the crucial question you should ask yourself is: How long have I disliked my nose? If you have always disliked it, you might be a good candidate for seeking dramatic changes you’ve long desired. However, if the urge to change your nose occurred fairly recently, you should be careful about asking for major changes in its overall look. If you cannot recognize yourself in the mirror after cosmetic nasal surgery, you may be seriously distressed even if the nose is better looking. In some cases, it is devastating to lose an identifying physical characteristic that is recognizable through several generations of your family.

Fortunately, conservative rhinoplasty can provide positive and far-reaching effects for the older patient who wants to look the same, but a little better and a little younger. Nasal refinement or shortening can make a face appear more youthful, thereby offering the same psychological uplift as cosmetic operations for other aging features.

Your doctor should take into consideration that your tissues must be treated more carefully after the age of 50. Skin is thinner and less elastic, the skin sleeve covering the nose is larger, cartilage has become less pliable, and you may be dependent on eyeglasses. Most importantly, your bones have become thinner and more brittle. They may shatter or crumble if surgically broken in an attempt to narrow them (a procedure called an osteotomy). In fact, some rhinoplasty doctors absolutely refuse to perform osteotomy of the bony arch of the older patient because of the very real risk that it will result in the loss of the support necessary to wear eyeglasses.

Because of these characteristics of aging tissues, the enlightened surgeon will not change the underlying structure of your nose to a great degree. But the good news is that relatively small changes are required in order to give you a younger look. As you age, the sleeve of skin that covers your nose tends to slide ever downward. In addition, the angle where your upper lip meets the nose may become sharper and less attractive.

Usually, careful sculpting of cartilage and the use of grafts can deal with those visible aspects of the aging nose without resorting to restructure of the nasal bones. Grafts are made either of cartilage or bone from elsewhere in your nose or other parts of your body. Cartilage grafts are used to build up certain areas of your nose or to enhance your ability to breathe.

Rhinoplasty, if well thought out by the patient, and planned and performed by a competent, prudent surgeon, can safely refine your nose while maintaining its natural character, and taking years off its appearance.

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