What Happens to Nose Jobs as You Age?

Rhinoplasty is the removal and reshaping of cartilage and bone in the nose.

While bone is not likely to shift much in later life, cartilage will continue growing, and this may cause failure, affecting how the nose grows and its integrity - or its ability to maintain its shape.

The purpose of the cartilage and bone in the nose is to support its structure, so the removal of this can cause this failure, and past patients may seek further surgery to correct this.

People often worry about the long-term effects of cosmetic surgery - in many cases, it is a short-term solution to beauty standards.

With rhinoplasty being the most common cosmetic surgery, many adults of all ages have lived with their nose job and seen it age. It is not an uncommon worry, but it is not one you should let eat away at you. 

In the following guide, we will assess what happens to the nose over the years following a rhinoplasty, what factors can affect it and how you can best look after your nose.

Following a rhinoplasty

Due to ageing and weight changes, your body will naturally grow and adapt, which may affect the nose too. You may see more cartilage and skin growth changing the shape and structure of your nose.

Of course, after having reductive surgery, it will not grow in as natural a way as it might have without the surgery, but this is not necessarily something to be concerned about.

Most cosmetic surgery experts will assess whether someone has reached the final stages of their nose growth, which occurs at different ages for everyone.

If they have not, the surgeon might suggest waiting a few years before seeking the surgery. If you had a rhinoplasty when your surgeon told you your nose had stopped most of its growth, you may not see as much change to your nose over time or have to worry about it failing.

Cartilage changes are generally minimal and will only be noticed after many years have passed.

Factors affecting your nose

As your face and body weather the elements and day-to-day life, they may change accordingly. Too much sun can cause the skin to wrinkle and occasional knocks could create gradual misalignment.

It is important to be considerate of these things before and after getting a nose job, as it will help to try and avoid factors that might cause change.

Depending on how the surgery was carried out - as everyone’s face is different - your nose might heal in a different way. This could result in more or less change over time as scar tissue forms and cartilage regrows.

This can also be strongly affected by your own unique genetics, as some people will naturally have more growth and healing than others.

Damage caused by physical means will create the most significant changes. Because your nose will already have weaker structural integrity, bumps and knocks could cause more severe damage than you might have suffered without rhinoplasty.

For this reason you should be very careful and mindful of damaging your nose by bumping into things.

Avoid intense physical activity where you might sustain this sort of damage, such as sports involving fast or heavy moving objects, or martial arts.

If you want to take part in these, you should acquire protective face and head gear.

Look after your face

The best ways to look after your face and nose in order to reduce the likelihood of significant changes or nose failure include using gentle moisturising creams to reduce wrinkling or decaying of the skin, sun cream and shade during sunny days, and cleaning carefully. 

During the healing process, ensure that you do not submerge your nose in water. Instead, clean with saline solution. 

If you feel as though something has gone wrong with your nose at any point after your surgery, and that it might be the cause of it, you should contact a medical professional right away.

Talk to us

Unfortunately, cosmetic surgery sometimes goes wrong. This can be due to a number of factors, with the most tragic being medical negligence - lack of care taken by a cosmetic surgeon which has led to injury and trauma.

If you feel as though you have suffered from such negligence, you could be due compensation which can help you to secure the corrective surgery and any other help you may require.

To seek compensation for your cosmetic surgery injury, or to find out whether you may be eligible for it, contact the medical negligence experts at Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors today.

We can assess your situation and help you to understand whether you are eligible for compensation, how much you may be entitled to and how you can go about getting it.

Making a claim can be complex, time consuming and expensive, so get in touch with us as soon as possible for the best chances of success.

Call 0808 231 9761 or fill in an online contact form now, and we will get back to you at a time convenient for you.