Introduction to Asian Rhinoplasty

Asian rhinoplasty has become a burgeoning segment of nasal surgery owing to the explosive popularity and expansion of cosmetic surgical procedures in the Asian population, both in the Western and Eastern hemispheres. As it has grown into one of the most popular facial plastic procedures for Asian patients, the surgical approaches and techniques employed during Asian rhinoplasty have also developed an increasing level of sophistication and complexity, while producing improving aesthetic results in a more predictable and durable manner.   The salient aspects of Asian rhinoplasty include not simply the individual nature of the anatomy, but the very personalized aesthetic unique to each patient. Rhinoplasty, whether reductive or augmentative, is not an algorithmic operation with a rote sequence of steps which, once executed, results in a functionally and cosmetically successful operation. A beautiful nose, based on canonical measurements of angles and distances, may, in the context of the entire face result in disharmony, and a less than optimal result.   An appreciation for the concept of Asian beauty is essential to achieving a result during Asian rhinoplasty that will not only create a beautiful nose, but a nose that will enhance a patient’s overall appearance. Asian patients are not seeking to appear “Westernized”, an antediluvian notion some misguided surgeons have erroneously propagated, but rather to achieve characteristics and features that more closely resemble others within their ethnicity. Especially in the case of rhinoplasty, the ideal of a straight dorsum plus a refined tip will require surgery equally as often in white patients as it will in Asian patients, albeit it with a contrarian approach. The concept of Asian beauty in the 21^st century embraces the attractive aspects of both “Western” and “Eastern” features and creates a coalescent ideal that emphasizes enhancement rather than transmutation of natural beauty.