Skip the Scalpel: A Comprehensive Guide to Non-Surgical Nose Jobs

Maybe you have bunny lines that won’t go away, deepening lines down the sides of the nose, or a drooping nasal tip. You’d like to correct the issue, but you’re nervous about the cost and risk of a surgical nose job.

You might not need one anyway. Botox and dermal filler injections can correct many nose-related cosmetic complaints. These non-surgical procedures both qualify as liquid nose jobs, and they could be right for you. 

Botox® for the Nose: What You Need to Know

Botox for the nose is less risky, less expensive, and easier to recover from than a surgical rhinoplasty procedure, aka a traditional nose job. Traditional rhinoplasty can cost $6,000 or more, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and that doesn’t include various fees and charges that can push the total cost to $15,000 or more.

That’s no excuse not to work with a plastic surgeon or other licensed medical provider who has completed advanced Botox training, of course. It’s not always possible to correct Botox injection mistakes, which means you may have to live with the results for months before the medication finally wears off.

In a Botox nose job, Botox may be injected into the tip of the nose. This relaxes the depressor septi and helps turn the tip upward. The dosage varies based on the nose structure, size, and other anatomical considerations.

Botox can also be used to treat bunny lines that won’t go away. “Chronic nose scrunching,” as some patients call it. 

These procedures are not effective in all patients. The underlying cause of the bunny lines or drooping nose tip must be related to local muscle activity, which isn’t always the case. If effective, results last three to six months. The most common side effects are tenderness, itching, swelling and bruising around the injection site.

Dermal Fillers for the Nose: What You Need to Know

Hyaluronic acid fillers can also treat nose-related cosmetic complaints. They’re more versatile than Botox and may be more effective as well. And the results tend to be more durable, from six to 12 months and sometimes longer.

Dermal filler nose jobs may target any of these sites:

• The tip of the nose. The objective here is similar to a Botox nose job: to raise the tip of the nose. Fillers can also temporarily increase volume in this area, lending a more youthful appearance.

• The bridge of the nose. This can temporarily reduce the appearance of bunny lines while adding volume to slimmer or concave noses.

• The sides of the nose. This is another area where volume-enhancing injections may temporarily improve unwanted cosmetic defects, such as “hollow” sides of the nose. For best results, dosing and injection sites should be symmetrical.

Nasolabial area. While not part of the nose itself, this area is close enough that it’s often targeted in comprehensive liquid nose job treatments. Deep nasolabial folds call for a different type of filler (calcium hydroxylapatite, brand name Radiesse) that lasts longer and provides more substantial volume enhancement.