There have been a number of psychology studies that have shown that people’s perceptions of facial beauty are closely tied to symmetry. In other words, the more symmetrical the individual facial features, the more likely it is that the entire face will be perceived as beautiful. Of course, very few people have exact symmetry to their facial features.
In fact, one of the reasons that rhinoplasty remains one of the most popular facial cosmetic surgical procedures year after year is because the nose is the most prominent feature on the face; therefore it is often the one that is most easily recognized as not being symmetrical. To see how asymmetrical your nose may be, divide an image of your head into three vertical and horizontal sections, similar to a tic tac toe game. Your nose should only fill the center square, in both the horizontal and vertical directions.
However, in many cases, you may find that it is not only your nose that determines the proper overall proportions of your face. For example, if your chin recedes or is not very prominent, it can make your nose look even out of proportion with the rest of your features. This is particularly evident in men, as a weak chin is particularly noticeable. In cases such as this, San Mateo plastic surgeon John R. Griffin recommends a combination of rhinoplasty with chin implant surgery.
Rhinoplasty
A rhinoplasty procedure can correct any number of problems with the size and shape of the nose. These can range from a nasal bridge that is too wide, narrow, or flat; to noticeable humps along the length of the nose; to nasal tips that are droopy, hooked, or turned upward. Dr. Griffin can also correct problems with the nostrils if they are too narrow, flat, or wide.
He can also make the entire nose more prominent by giving it more definition. Such corrections can be made with the use of splints and grafts (most often from cartilage harvested from behind the ear), as well as by shaving down the bones around the nose. Rhinoplasties can either be performed by peeling back the skin and tissue (open rhinoplasty), or by only accessing internal structures through the nostrils (closed rhinoplasty) and using internal sutures.
Chin Augmentation
Chin augmentation corrects a weak or receding chin by making it more prominent. Dr. Griffin will use an implant made of silicone. He will start by making an incision either inside the mouth, below the lower gum line, or under the chin so as to minimize the appearance of the scar. The chin implant is then attached directly to the lower jawbone to enhance the size and definition of the chin. The combination of a rhinoplasty with this operation is done on an outpatient basis.
The main advantage to combining a rhinoplasty with a chin augmentation is that getting the right balance between the nose and the chin means that both would require less extensive work than if the procedures were done separately. Getting that proper balance will help improve your overall facial appearance.
