Glossary

Alar base The bottom of the nose where the nostrils meet the cheek

The width across this part is what alar base reduction narrows. It is a different measurement from the width of the bridge, and the two are changed by different operations.

Cartilage graft A piece of your own cartilage moved to support or reshape part of the nose

Usually taken from the septum, sometimes from the ear, and in larger reconstructions from a rib. Grafting is common in revision surgery because the septum has often already been used.

Closed approach Surgery done entirely through the nostrils

Also called endonasal. It leaves no external scar and gives the surgeon less direct view of the framework than the open approach.

Columella The strip of skin between the nostrils

The open approach makes a small incision across it. The resulting scar is usually inconspicuous once mature, but it is a real scar and should be described as one.

Consent form The document recording that you understood what could go wrong

Professional guidance is that it should be completed before you travel, not on the morning of surgery in a country you arrived in yesterday.

Depressor septi nasi The small muscle that pulls the nasal tip down when you smile

It runs from the bone above the upper front teeth to the base of the columella, and it also shortens the upper lip on smiling. It is fully formed in most people and absent or only rudimentary in about one in six. What surgery and Botox can do about it is in the post on rhinoplasty and the smile.

Deviated septum A bent nasal partition

The wall between the two sides of the nose sits off centre, which can block airflow. Extremely common, and only worth treating when it actually causes symptoms.

Dorsal hump The bump on the bridge of the nose

Made of bone, cartilage or both. Usually inherited. It is a normal variant rather than a deformity.

Ecchymosis Bruising

The medical term you will see in studies. It is measured on subjective grading scales, which is one reason to read claims about reduced bruising carefully.

Nasal valve The narrowest part of the airway, just inside the nostril

A recognised and treatable cause of a blocked nose that is frequently missed, because it is not visible from outside and does not show on a straightforward look up the nose.

NOSE scale A validated questionnaire that scores how blocked your nose feels

Used before and after surgery to measure change in symptoms rather than in appearance. If a surgeon is treating your breathing, ask whether they measure it.

Oedema Swelling

The reason the nose you see at two weeks is not the result. Three-dimensional studies show it resolves over many months rather than weeks, and slowest at the tip.

Open approach Surgery using a small external incision across the columella

Gives the surgeon a direct view of the framework. Which approach is right depends on what the nose needs rather than on which is better in general.

Osteotomy A controlled cut in the nasal bone

How the bony part of the nose is narrowed or straightened. Ultrasonic instruments are one way of performing it; a chisel is the conventional way.

Piezoelectric The ultrasonic instrument used to shape bone

Piezo and ultrasonic rhinoplasty are the same thing under two names. It changes the instrument used for one part of the operation, not the operation.

Pollybeak Fullness just above the tip of the nose

In profile the area above the tip stands out, so the tip looks lower than the bridge, like a parrot's beak. It is usually a result of rhinoplasty, and it can be scar or cartilage. Also called a supratip deformity. More in the post on pollybeak deformity.

Preservation rhinoplasty Techniques that lower the bridge from underneath rather than removing and rebuilding it

A newer family of techniques. It is currently marketed considerably ahead of its comparative evidence.

Primary rhinoplasty A first operation on a nose that has not been operated on before

Distinguished from revision surgery, which is technically harder because scar tissue and altered anatomy are already there.

Revision rhinoplasty Surgery to correct a nose that has already been operated on

Usually requires waiting at least twelve months after the previous operation, frequently requires grafting, and settles more slowly.

Septorhinoplasty Straightening the septum and reshaping the nose in one operation

Done when both the airway and the appearance are being addressed. It is one operation and one recovery rather than two.

Splint The support taped to the outside of the nose after surgery

Usually removed around day six to eight. The nose is markedly swollen underneath it, and what you see that day is not the result.

Supratip The area just above the tip of the nose

Most noses have a slight dip here in profile, called the supratip break. When the area is full instead, it is called a pollybeak.

Tip ptosis A drooping nasal tip

Becomes more noticeable when smiling, because the muscle that pulls the tip down is active. There is an age-related component as well.

Turbinates Ridges inside the nose that warm and humidify air

They can enlarge and block airflow, but they have a job. Removing too much causes a distinct and difficult problem, which is why reduction rather than removal is the aim.

Missing a term you have been given? Tell us and we will add it. If you have been handed a word by a clinic and cannot find out what it means, that is worth knowing about.