Ethnic rhinoplasty · Middle Eastern, South Asian, Asian, African AmericanRefine the nose.
Keep the face it belongs to.
Dr. Raj Kanodia has operated on patients from the Middle East, India, East Asia, Europe and across the United States for 45 years. Every plan starts the same way: find the features that are already attractive, leave them alone, and refine only what is out of balance with the rest of the face.
The principle
Planned from
your own nose.
Refinement of the nose you have.
Dr. Kanodia puts it plainly on his philosophy page: “Subjecting every patient to an ‘ideal’ nose is absolutely wrong.” He writes that some noses look better with a sliver of a hump left in place, or with nostrils wider than a textbook would draw them.
Nine things he checks.
At the consultation he reviews breathing, the septum, the internal valves, the turbinates, the length of the nose, the tip, projection, the width and symmetry of the nasal bones, and the width and shape of the nostrils. The ones in harmony with your face stay as they are.
What changes the plan
Anatomy,
nose by nose.
- Skin thickness.Thicker skin softens fine tip definition and takes longer to settle. The tip plan accounts for what will show through it.
- Wide nasal bones.Wide bones can be narrowed through the closed approach, by cutting them low on each side and moving them inward.
- A low or flat bridge.If raising the bridge is your main goal, ask at the consultation whether the closed approach can give you the height you want.
- The nostrils.Width and shape are judged against your face. Nostrils that suit the face are left alone.
Patients by background
Common patterns,
by background.
Middle Eastern rhinoplasty.
Dr. Kanodia has cared for patients from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for decades. The work is minimal: only the steps the nose needs, with its character kept. He sees patients in Dubai on November 4, 5 and 6, 2026 (details).
Indian and South Asian rhinoplasty.
Dr. Kanodia is of Indian descent and has treated patients from India and across South Asia for decades. Thicker skin at the tip is common and changes the plan for the tip.
Asian rhinoplasty (East Asian noses).
A lower, broader bridge and a rounder tip are common. The consultation decides what the closed approach can change; ask directly about the bridge if height is what you want.
African American rhinoplasty.
Wider nasal bones, a lower bridge and a broader nostril base are common. The bones can be narrowed through the closed approach, and the bridge and tip are assessed nose by nose.
Every nose is its own case.
These are common patterns. Plenty of noses in each group look nothing like them, and no photograph tells a surgeon someone’s ancestry. Dr. Kanodia plans from your nose and your face.
Questions
Seven questions about
ethnic rhinoplasty.
What is ethnic rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty that refines the nose while keeping the features that belong to the patient’s face and heritage. Dr. Kanodia plans it from the nose in front of him, not from a category.
Will I still look like myself?
That is the aim. Dr. Kanodia identifies the features that are already attractive and leaves them alone, then refines the parts that are out of balance with the rest of the face.
Does Dr. Kanodia operate on Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian and African American noses?
Yes. He has treated patients from the Middle East, India and South Asia, East Asia and Europe, and African American patients, for decades. Every operation is a closed rhinoplasty on a first-time nose.
Can a low or flat bridge be raised?
Raise it at the consultation. Dr. Kanodia’s work is refinement of the nose you have, and he will tell you whether his closed approach can give you the height you want.
Does thick skin affect the result?
Yes. Thicker skin softens fine tip definition and takes longer to settle, sometimes up to 18 months. It changes the plan, not whether you can have surgery.
Can I have a consultation if I live abroad?
Yes. A virtual consultation on Zoom costs $300, is non-refundable and is credited toward surgery. Dr. Kanodia also sees patients in Dubai on November 4, 5 and 6, 2026; the Dubai page has the details.
Does Dr. Kanodia perform revision rhinoplasty?
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.
Read next
Related pages.
- His philosophy.Dr. Kanodia’s philosophy: finesse, not change, in his own words.
- A round tip.Bulbous, round or droopy tip: refining the tip through the nostrils.
- Patients from abroad.Consultations in Dubai and the virtual consultation.
NEXT STEP
Start with
your own nose.
A consultation starts with seven photographs of your nose and a conversation about what you want to change.