The majority of people say their nose “looks ugly” because they dislike its natural appearance. If you have a wide or thick nose, hearing this may be very hurtful and discouraging. The least invasive method of reshaping one’s nose to improve its appearance would be the best choice.
Have you observed? Nose jobs are the most popular form of plastic surgery. However, patients who aren’t ready for their recovery period and surgeons who try to do too much are the most common causes of complications following this procedure. Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Meghan Markle have contributed to a resurgence in interest in rhinoplasty, which now accounts for more than 17 million annual procedures worldwide.
Natural Nose Reshaping
Surgery called rhinoplasty, or more colloquially, a “nose job,” is the most common method for altering the appearance of one’s nose.
More than 207,000 rhinoplasty procedures were performed in the United States in 2019, as reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Cosmetic rhinoplasty is performed on patients who are dissatisfied with their nose’s appearance. In addition, surgery is employed to:
- repair nose injuries
- correct birth defects
- improve breathing issues
The surgery can change the size, shape, or proportions of your nose.
Recently, many websites have been promoting nose exercises as an effective alternative to surgery. Although they claim these exercises can help shape and sharpen your nose, there’s no evidence that these exercises are effective.
Let’s examine what science says about nose exercises. We’ll also look at other nonsurgical and surgical options for nose reshaping.
Do nose exercises work?
Nose exercises and “nose yoga” have not been shown in scientific studies to alter the shape of the nose.
Pinch your nose while you flare your nostrils for an example of a nose exercise that is promoted on many websites.
Your bone structure is the primary factor in determining the appearance of the part of your nose that rests against your face. The pliable cartilage at the nose’s tip is responsible for most of your nose’s appearance.
The shape of either of these tissues has not been shown to be significantly affected by nose exercises.
Facial expressions use the tiny muscles around your nose, which can be strengthened with regular nose exercises. Your nose’s shape isn’t really affected by these muscles.
Can you make your nose smaller with toothpaste?
Some websites have been circulating a rumor that applying toothpaste can make your nose smaller.
Again, the shape of your nose is primarily determined by the shape of your bone and cartilage. Toothpaste won’t affect the size of either of these tissues.
There’s also no evidence that other home remedies that include ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ginger, or garlic will have any effect on the size or shape of your nose, either.
How to reshape your nose naturally
The following two methods may help you change the appearance of your nose without surgery.
Contouring and makeup
Makeup won’t change the size of your nose, but it can help change the appearance. There are many tutorials online that explain different strategies for nose contouring.
Here are the basic steps of contouring your nose:
- Outline either side of your nose using a bronzer that’s two shades darker than your skin.
- Highlight the bridge of your nose using a matte highlighter.
- Manipulate the shadows and highlights using a beauty blender.
In the following video, makeup artist Wayne Goss shows how to use makeup to contour different types of noses.
Dermal fillers
A nonsurgical rhinoplasty is a procedure in which a dermal filler is injected beneath your skin to change the shape of your nose. The procedure also goes by the nicknames “liquid nose job” or “15-minute nose job.”
During the procedure, a doctor will inject a gel-like dermal filler beneath your skin. They may use a filler with hyaluronic acid (like Juvederm) or calcium hydroxylapatite (like Radiesse), among others.
The procedure can take less than 15 minutes, and many people return to work the day after the procedure.
The results of a nonsurgical rhinoplasty aren’t as dramatic as those of a traditional procedure, but this method can help smooth bumps and make your nose look thinner or straighter.
Nonsurgical rhinoplasty offers several advantages over traditional nose surgery:
- There’s no anesthesia or splints.
- It has a quick recovery time.
- You won’t have swelling or bruising.
- It’s much cheaper.
The procedure isn’t permanent, but results can last up to about 6 months.
Surgical remedies
The following surgical options can help reshape your nose.
Rhinoplasty
The most common cosmetic surgery for changing the shape of your nose is rhinoplasty. This surgery can:
- reshape your nostrils
- straighten your nose
- reshape your nose
There are several variations of the rhinoplasty procedure, but the two major categories are open rhinoplasty and closed rhinoplasty.
Open rhinoplasty
Open rhinoplasty is usually performed for major reshaping. During this type of surgery, a surgeon makes an incision on the piece of skin between your nostrils to access the inside of your nose.
This surgery has the potential to leave a noticeable scar. However, most people who undergo this surgery report their scar being invisible or barely visible.
Closed rhinoplasty
Closed rhinoplasty is usually used for minor procedures. Incisions are made inside your nose to avoid scarring.
Septoplasty
A septoplasty is a surgery that straightens the bone and cartilage between your nostrils. This part of your nose is called your septum. When your septum is crooked, it’s referred to as a deviated septum.
A deviated septum commonly causes symptoms like:
- nasal blockage
- headaches
- facial pain
- trouble smelling
- nasal discharge
- snoring
Takeaway
Nose exercises are a popular internet fad. It’s very unlikely that they’ll have any effect on the shape of your nose.
The shape of your nose is primarily determined by your bone and cartilage and can’t be changed without surgery.
If you’re unhappy with your nose, the cheapest and easiest option is to use makeup to contour it.
The profile of your face is very much affected by the shape of your nose. A large or pronounced nose can be valued as a sign of beauty and distinction. In fact, the lauded and legendary beauty Cleopatra had a nose that was so long and large that people are still talking about it.
But some people see having a prominent nose as an unwanted feature. If you don’t like the way your nose looks, you might be tempted by home remedies and exercises that claim to narrow, streamline, and shorten your nose. Keep reading to find out what you can actually do to make your nose look smaller.
Sketchy internet remedies
There are tons of internet rumors about making your nose smaller. Some websites suggest that putting ice on your nose repeatedly will make it shrink. It won’t.
Some say that applying a paste of garlic extract, toothpaste, apple cider vinegar, ginger powder, or other anti-inflammatory ingredients will get rid of a bump in your nose. This won’t work, either.
There are people who swear that doing certain facial exercises and holding certain expressions can make your nose look smaller. But it’s collagen that gives your face its shape, and your nose is made of cartilage — not muscle or fat. Toning or strengthening certain face muscles won’t make a visible difference in how large your nose appears to be.
There are even DIY injection products and facial molds that you can use to try reshaping the bones in your nose. Many of these products are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Evidence to suggest that any of these remedies work is severely lacking.
Nonsurgical remedies
Using an unproven home remedy to actually make your nose smaller is unlikely to work. But there are makeup strategies that you can try to make your nose appear smaller, such as nose contouring. Plenty of YouTube tutorial videos explore methods of nose contouring. The basic idea is simple:
- Using bronzer
that’s two shades darker than your skin tone, outline your nose on both sides. - Use a matte
highlighter to trace the narrow outline of your nose and bring attention to it. - Use a beauty
blender to play up the shadows and highlights of this effect. It may take some
practice, but many people love the result of this makeup technique.
You may also consider what’s called a nonsurgical rhinoplasty. This is a procedure that injects a temporary filler, such as Juvederm or Restylane, into the structure of your nose. These fillers will temporarily even out bumps, divots, or other asymmetries in your nose. The effect can last for up to six months.
Surgical remedies
If you’re considering a surgical intervention to make your nose smaller, you may have heard of a method called a rhinoplasty. A cosmetic surgeon will consult with you about the shape you’d like your nose to have. Then you’ll be put under general anesthesia while your surgeon removes cartilage and tissue to reconstruct your nose.
Nose reshaping surgeries are more common than you might think. More than 200,000 of these surgeries are performed in the United States every year. It’s the third most popular kind of cosmetic surgery nationwide, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. These surgeries are not typically covered by insurance
Experiment with different looks
If you aren’t happy with the shape of your nose, there are plenty of options to consider. Noninvasive remedies, such as contouring techniques or fillers, are reversible ways to experiment with the way your nose looks.
The size of your nose is also sometimes dependent on outside health factors, such as weight gain, pregnancy, melanoma, rosacea, and frequent consumption of alcohol. Speak with your doctor if your nose shape seems to be changing drastically.
How Can I Fix a Crooked Nose?
What’s a crooked nose?
Just like humans, crooked noses come in all shapes and sizes. A crooked nose refers to a nose that doesn’t follow a straight, vertical line down the center of your face.
The degree of crookedness may be very subtle or more dramatic, depending on the cause. While crooked noses are usually only a cosmetic concern, they can occasionally affect your breathing.
When it comes to treating a crooked nose, the internet is full of exercise routines that promise to straighten your nose. Keep reading to learn more about whether these exercises actually work.
What causes a crooked nose?
Before looking into treatment options, it’s important to understand what causes a crooked nose. There are two main types of crooked noses. One type is caused by an issue within the complex system of bones, cartilage, and tissue that make up your nose.
This may be the result of several things, including:
- birth defects
- injuries, such as a broken nose
- surgery on your nose
- severe infections
- tumors
Depending on the cause, your nose may be C-, I-, or S-shaped.
The other type of crooked nose is caused by a deviated septum. Your septum is the internal wall that separates your left and right nasal passages from each other. If you have a deviated septum, it means this wall leans to one side, partially blocking one side of your nose. While some people are born with a deviated septum, others develop one following an injury.
In addition to making your nose look crooked, a deviated septum can also cause:
- nosebleeds
- loud breathing
- difficulty sleeping on one side
Work with your doctor to figure out what’s causing the crooked shape in your nose. This will make it easier to determine the best treatment option.
Can exercises help?
The claims
When you look up crooked noses online, you’ll quickly find a long list of facial exercises that are said to straighten a crooked nose. Some of these exercises involve devices, such as nasal shapers, which you place over your nostrils while flaring them.
These exercises promise an inexpensive, easy fix. But do they really work?
The research
If straightening a crooked nose through exercise sounds too good to be true, it’s because it probably is. There’s no scientific evidence that these exercises work. In addition, the structure of your nose is largely made up of bones and tissue. It’s not possible to change the shape of either of these through exercise.
Try this instead
If you’re looking for a nonsurgical way to straighten your nose, skip the nasal workout and talk to your doctor about soft tissue fillers. These are injectable materials that can camouflage the crookedness of the bones and cartilage by filling in the soft tissue areas of your nose that are off-center.
Soft tissue fillers include:
- silicone
- hyaluronic acid (HA), such as Juvaderm
- calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) gel
Both HA and CaHA have few side effects, but silicone may cause a severe form of inflammation called granuloma. Keep in mind that all types of fillers increase your risk of thinning skin and infection. Fillers tend to work best on noses that are only slightly crooked, but your doctor can give you a better idea of how well they’ll work for you.
What about surgery?
While fillers can help to straighten a slightly crooked nose, surgery is usually needed for more severe cases. Rhinoplasty is a type of plastic surgery that generally focuses on the outside of your nose, while septoplasty straightens the wall that divides the inside of your nose in two.
Rhinoplasty
There are two types of rhinoplasty, known as cosmetic rhinoplasty and functional rhinoplasty. Cosmetic rhinoplasty focuses solely on appearance. Functional rhinoplasty, on the other hand, is done to correct breathing problems.
Regardless of the type of rhinoplasty, a 2015 study found that rhinoplasty successfully straightened crooked noses in participants with and without facial symmetry. Facial symmetry means that both halves of your face look similar.
Septoplasty
Septoplasty helps to straighten your nose by reshaping the wall between your nasal passages. If you have a crooked nose due to a deviated septum, your doctor will likely recommend septoplasty. In addition to straightening your nose, septoplasty can also relieve nasal airway blockage caused by a deviated septum.
The bottom line
Crooked noses are very common, whether they’re due to an old injury or a deviated septum. In fact, its estimated that about 80 percent of people have some form of deviated septum. Unless your crooked nose causes breathing problems, there’s no need for treatment.
If you do want to straighten your nose for cosmetic reasons, exercises likely won’t help. Instead, talk to your doctor about soft tissue fillers or surgery. Keep in mind that these procedures all carry their own side effects and may not produce a “perfect” nose.
My Decision to Get a Nose Job Was About Much More Than Looks
As far back as I can remember, I’ve hated my nose. Despised it.
All of my body insecurity and self-confidence issues were tied in some way to this protruding lump in the middle of my face. It didn’t suit my face, it overwhelmed my other features. I felt like whenever I walked into a room, my nose was the first thing people noticed about me.
I desperately tried to accept my nose as a part of me. I’d even make jokes about it. But I couldn’t help but feel my life would be so different if I didn’t have this one facial feature that completely took over. I’d go on holidays with my friends and family and have a fabulous time — but seeing photos from the trip that captured me in profile would bring me to tears.
So by 21, I’d had enough. But I’d also resigned myself to the fact that surgery was out of the question. Surely that was something only celebrities or wealthy people did? It was bound to go wrong on a “normal” person, right? Still, I couldn’t help at least looking into it. And in the end, I actually spent a large part of my second year of university getting quotes from private surgeons from all over the world. But they all came back at over $9,000, which my student budget couldn’t afford. And I didn’t want to haggle a bargain when it was something on my face that I’d have to live with forever.
But then one evening, everything changed.
I spotted a post from a fellow blogger friend who had undergone a rhinoplasty procedure with a London-based cosmetic surgery clinic, Transform. Her results looked extremely natural and there were several finance options available. I booked an appointment.
Six months later, a week after I’d finished my exams, I was undergoing surgery.
Walking myself to the operating table knowing that I’d wake up with a different nose was the most surreal experience ever. Anxiousness, anticipation, excitement.
Will I look like a different person?
Will anyone notice?
Will I still be me?
Will anything change?
Well, actually — everything changed. Within the first month of having the procedure, I felt confident enough to experiment with makeup, and I landed a huge work opportunity! I also cut my hair for the first time in six years. (I’d wanted to grow it as long as possible to detract attention from my nose.) And, having experienced a breakup, I tried dating again. For the first time, I took a chance dating someone I’d never met before —previously, I’d only go on dates with people I’d met through friends.
In hindsight, I can’t quite believe how different I am as a person and how much of my self-confidence I attached to my nose. After the surgery, my confidence skyrocketed. I felt like I could throw myself into the career I wanted to chase after, without being held back by the stigma I had tied to my nose.
I felt like I finally had the face I was always supposed to have, with all of my features working with one another rather than one overwhelming the rest.
I was free from my confidence-withholding burden. No longer hiding behind it.
My advice when it comes to cosmetic surgery
Cosmetic surgery is obviously a huge decision and one that certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly. You are altering your body — permanently. And the effects aren’t just physical, they’re emotional, too. If you are thinking about any kind of surgery yourself, I implore you to read this first:
1. Manage your expectations
I think the single most important thing when undergoing any kind of cosmetic surgery is to manage your expectations, because this is where surgery can go very wrong. One thing I really appreciated about my surgeon was that he assured me that his key vision was to ensure my nose still suited my face. It’s dangerous to go in and ask for “Angelina Jolie’s nose,” for example, or to expect to emulate someone else. Surgery is about enhancing what you already have, not giving you something new altogether. For the most natural look, you want something that is going to be in proportion with your other features and work in harmony with them — so your surgeon should make that their goal, too.
2. There is no such thing as ‘perfect’
Striving for perfection is another common mishap when it comes to cosmetic surgery, and that’s dangerous. Because, quite frankly, perfection doesn’t exist. If you strive for a “perfect nose” you’re unfortunately going to be setting yourself up for disappointment. Aim for a nose (or feature) that works in better harmony with the rest of you. Remember, it’s not about emulating anyone else — it’s about YOU!
3. Do your research
I can’t stress this enough. In order to feel reassured that you’re in good hands and are going to get the natural result you want, you need to make sure you’ve conducted plenty of research. A personal recommendation always helps, because you can see the living, breathing, walking, talking result for yourself. And if that’s not an option, Google. Many surgeons have reviews online with before and after pictures, and if you can’t find them, be sure to ask the surgeon’s assistant. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t feel pressured to rush into anything. Remember, this is a big decision and it has to feel right for you. I waited 10 years before going ahead with my operation, which gave me plenty of time to really think about whether it was something I truly wanted to do.
4. Give yourself time to recover
Here’s another very important piece of advice. While cosmetic surgery is elective, you still may be in a lot of pain, and you may have swelling and bruising. I gave myself two weeks off before returning to my usual activities, and this was more than enough time to start feeling more human again.
5. Give your results time
It takes time to really heal properly. While the results of cosmetic surgery are instant, swelling and bruising can mask the final result. For example, a rhinoplasty procedure carries a lot of swelling and bruising with it (especially if you’re having your nose broken to correct a deviated septum, like I was). While a lot of the swelling went down by the one-month mark, I’d say it was around six months later before I started to see the final result that I have now. Residual swelling can even continue up until the 18-month mark, so be patient!
My new nose is right for me, and gave me the confidence to be myself. I spent years thinking about what it was about my appearance that I felt was holding me back. I researched procedures and took every facet of my life into consideration. A body-altering surgery is not something anyone should just dive into, and I’m glad I took the time to truly think about my own.