The facial profile and cosmetic surgery

Abstract

Rhinoplastic technique is now well developed and skill in its use can be acquired with practice. Judgement is required, however, to alter the nasal profile to suit the facial profile as a whole. Surgical correction of forehead and chin lines is more difficult, and for this reason, the nasal profile should not accentuate any excessive deviations from the normal in these structures. Certain features of the facial profile are more prominent in one particular sex and it is felt that these characteristics should not be accentuated when operating on the nose of a patient of the opposite sex. The purpose of this paper is to outline the variations in profile that are more frequently associated with a particular sex, and to draw attention to certain principles of aesthetics and perception that can assist in deciding what alterations should be made to the facial profile as a whole. The application of these principles to two patients is discussed.