Naderi Center for Cosmetic Surgery & Skin Care, PLLC
5454 Wisconsin Avenue
1710
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
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What Is The Best Age For Rhinoplasty?
One of the most common questions on the mind of younger patients, their parents as well as much older patients is, “what is the best age for a nose job?”
There is no upper age limit for rhinoplasty as long as older patients are healthy and in good medical condition for rhinoplasty. A nose job on a 70-year old female can actually make her look younger by correcting a droopy tip or a long nose. Often times a much older rhinoplasty patient will look more rested and youthful as if they underwent a facelift by just improving their nose. There are plenty of older patients who have wanted a better nose for many years but for one reason or another were not able to accomplish their goals till later in life. These patients are often extremely grateful and appreciative after a successful nasal reshaping and tears of joy after their nose cast comes off is a very common occurrence.
The youngest age for rhinoplasty is usually 16. Some surgeons will not perform rhinoplasty on anyone younger than 18 so that the patient can sign the surgery consent as an adult. This approach is not fair to younger patients especially since the typical age for otoplasty (ear pinning) is around 4-6 years of age. What is more important than legal age is mental and physical age.
Occasionally on rare instances, a rhinoplasty surgeon will consider performing a nose job on a teenager as young as 14 if the patient has essentially completed their physical growth. For example, if the teenage rhinoplasty patient is 5'3″ tall but both parents are six feet tall then more time should be given for the teenage growth spurt and completion of physical development. However, if the teenage nose job patient is relatively the same height as his or her parents, then it may be safe to assume further drastic changes in growth will not occur.
But more important than physical growth and maturity is mental and emotional maturity. While there are some 14 year olds that have the proper realistic attitude and mental maturity towards rhinoplasty, there are some 40 year olds that do not possess such mental strength and emotional maturity to undergo elective nasal reshaping surgery. We sometimes see teenage nose job patients who are much more mature and realistic than their own parents.
The most important factor with teenage rhinoplasty is to make sure the desire for changing their nose is internally driven and not forced on the teenage patient by the parents. It's also as important to make sure the patient has realistic goals about the outcome. All things being equal, a successful rhinoplasty can increase the self-confidence of any patient, especially the teenager who is self-conscience about his or her nose. The goal of any rhinoplasty is improvements in the nose and balance in the face. A natural nose enhances the beauty of the eyes.
