Bulbous, round or droopy tip · Closed rhinoplasty in Beverly HillsA refined tip that still
looks like your nose.

A bulbous tip is round and full at the end of the nose, and it can make the whole nose look too big or too wide. A droopy tip sits low and often drops further when you smile. Dr. Raj Kanodia refines both through incisions inside the nose, and takes away only as much cartilage as the change needs.

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See the cases
What you see in the mirror

Four reasons a tip
draws the eye.

  1. A bulbous or round tip.The tip cartilages are wide or full, so the end of the nose looks like a ball. Most patients with a bulbous tip describe the whole nose as too big or too wide, even when the bridge is fine.
  2. A droopy tip.The tip sits too low for the rest of the face. Some noses droop on their own. In others the muscle that pulls the tip down is too active, and the tip drops further when you smile.
  3. Thick skin.Thick skin over the tip softens its shape. It changes the plan for the tip but does not rule anyone out.
  4. Too much projection.A nose that sticks out too far from the face can make a normal tip look heavy. When the projection is reduced, the skin settles onto the smaller framework and the nostrils shorten with it.
How the tip is refined

Small changes,
made from inside.

Through the nostrils.

Dr. Kanodia reaches the tip cartilages through an incision inside the nostril and trims their upper edge. He removes no more than half of that edge, so the tip does not pinch or collapse as it heals.

Depending on the nose, he repositions the tip, sculpts the cartilages, or does both.

Rotating a droopy tip, a little.

A droopy tip is lifted by rotating it upward a few degrees. Too much rotation turns the nose up and shows the nostrils from the front, so the rotation stays small.

Leaving a good tip alone.

Several gallery cases carry the note “tip-nostril complex preserved in its beautiful natural form.” In those patients the hump or the projection was reduced and the tip was left as it was. The consultation decides whether your tip needs work at all.

Cases from the gallery

Three tips, three plans.

Drag any photograph to compare before and after. Each card opens the full case in the gallery.

The limits

What the closed approach
can and cannot do.

A very large tip.

In his technical notes Dr. Kanodia names the extremely bulbous tip as the limit of the closed approach. Delivering, trimming and suturing the tip cartilages can be done through the nostrils, but the open approach gives better access to them. Dr. Kanodia performs closed rhinoplasty only, so if your tip is very large, he will tell you at the consultation whether his approach can give you the change you want. The open and closed comparison explains both.

Skin sets how much shows.

Thicker skin softens fine tip definition and takes longer to settle; thinner skin shows detail sooner. The tip is the last part of the nose to reach its final shape, often 12 months or more after surgery.

Questions

Seven questions about
the nose tip.

Wide or full tip cartilages are the usual cause. Thick skin over the tip and a nose that sticks out too far from the face can also make a normal tip look round and heavy. The consultation separates which of these applies to your nose.

In most noses, yes. Dr. Kanodia reaches the tip cartilages through incisions inside the nostrils. For an extremely bulbous tip, his own technical notes say the open approach gives better access to the cartilages. He performs closed rhinoplasty only, and tells you at the consultation whether it can make the change you want.

Yes. The tip is rotated upward during closed rhinoplasty. Dr. Kanodia keeps the rotation small, because a tip turned up too far shows the nostrils from the front.

The muscle that pulls the tip down is active when you smile. In one gallery case the tip was lifted a little by relaxing that muscle and shaving the lower edge of the septum.

The tip is the last part of the nose to settle. Most of the change shows in the first months; the remaining 15 to 20 percent comes between months 6 and 12, and up to 18 months with thicker skin. The recovery timeline covers each stage.

No. His Beverly Hills practice accepts first-time rhinoplasty patients only. If your nose has been operated on before, you need a surgeon who does revision work.

If you live outside Los Angeles, book a virtual consultation. It costs $300, is non-refundable, is credited toward surgery, and starts with seven photographs of your nose. Local patients can contact the office for an in-person visit.

NEXT STEP

Find out what
your tip needs.

A consultation starts with seven photographs of your nose and a conversation about what you want to change.

Request a consultation
Or call 310-276-3106
Not in Los Angeles? Book a virtual consultation