Sep 17, 2009 7:27 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Instant Nose Jobs
New Cosmetic Procedure Can Temporarily Fix The Center Of Your Face, But There Are Some Risks Involved
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
If you're unhappy with the shape of your nose, but afraid to go under the knife, a new procedure promises a better profile, and it's thousands of dollars cheaper than surgery.
But what are the pros and cons? CBS 2 HD takes a closer look.
Whether bumpy, crooked, dented or flat the nose is often at the center of many people's cosmetic complaints.
"Picasso might appreciate it but I don't," Noreen Lewis said.
For Lewis, it's the bump on the bridge of her nose that she despises.
"This has just consistently bothered me and I haven't had the wherewithal financially to get a procedure done," she said.
But now Lewis has another option to a traditional nose job. It's a non-surgical procedure that costs thousands of dollars less than surgery.
"The idea behind it is nasal contouring," said Dr. Cameron Rokhsar.
Here's how it works: Dermatologists inject a filler, the same filler used to smooth wrinkles, into certain areas of the nose. The doctor then molds the filler which evens out the shape, diminishing certain flaws.
"You can camouflage bumps; you can camouflage dents in the nose and a lot of sideways deviations," Dr. Rokhsar said.
Rokhsar said he came up with the idea of this instant nose job five years ago while filling in a patient's laugh lines.
"The patient suggested we use the remainder of the material to shape their nose," Dr. Rokhsar said.
Now, the 15-minute procedure is widely available, with results that doctors say are immediate and can last up to a year.
"It does look more symmetrical," Lewis said after having the procedure performed.
Lewis loved the new look of her nose. In before and after photos you can see the bump has been diminished.
"It's what I hoped to achieve, it's more aligned," she said.
But the instant nose job has its limitations.
"It doesn't address the width of the nose, the length of the nose, the size of the tip," said Dr. Sam Rizk.
And that's not all. Rizk, a plastic surgeon who specializes in surgical nose jobs, also cautions of potential side effects from injected fillers into the nose.
"Some non-surgical nose jobs, the filler migrates and it impinges upon the areas that are crucial for breathing," Dr. Rizk said.
Rokhsar admits the instant nose job is not for everyone and not meant to replace surgery, but for certain patients, like Lewis, it offers an alternative.
"I'm delighted with the whole thing," Lewis said.
The instant nose job is technically an off-label use for fillers because they have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for nasal restructuring, although it is considered safe and practiced widely.
The instant nose job procedure costs around $1,000.
You can read more about both surgical and non-surgical nose jobs
here and
here.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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