Surgeons and patients alike are embracing a new standard of beauty—one that honors form and heritage.
Courtesy of Mdv Edwards at Adobe Stock
Rooted in fixing imperfections and correcting undesirable features, medical aesthetics in the U.S., specifically rhinoplasty, can, at times, be associated with undermining the integrity and distinctiveness of ethnic noses by favoring eurocentric beauty standards over cultural authenticity. That's not the case anymore, however. Since celebrities have come out regretting their decision to undergo rhinoplasty and alter their ancestral roots, many social media users and aesthetics patients have embraced their ethnic noses, in turn transforming what a consultation looks like and urging physicians to adopt more individualized, culturally responsive practices.
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Rooted in fixing imperfections and correcting undesirable features, medical aesthetics in the U.S., specifically rhinoplasty, can, at times, be associated with undermining the integrity and distinctiveness of ethnic noses by favoring eurocentric beauty standards over cultural authenticity. That's not the case anymore, however. Since celebrities have come out regretting their decision to undergo rhinoplasty and alter their ancestral roots, many social media users and aesthetics patients have embraced their ethnic noses, in turn transforming what a consultation looks like and urging physicians to adopt more individualized, culturally responsive practices.
How Social Media and Celebrities Are Shifting Perceptions of Ethnic Noses
When searching “ethnic nose” on the social media platform TikTok, there are videos of women turning to the side and showing the stark bridges of their unique noses, saying that they could never trade their lineage for an “upturned” nose. Some flaunt having a rhinoplasty, but hold with dignity the fact that they did not sacrifice their unique features, passed down from generations, in the making.
Model Bella Hadid also came out in 2022 during an interview with American Vogue saying that she regrets getting a nose job at 14-years-old, expressing, "I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors.” Anil Shah, MD, who wrote the book Nosecentric and specializes in rhinoplasty, says a decade earlier, his protocol of asking patients about their ethnicity in the consultation would've taken them aback, but now, in recent years, many are glad that he talks about the subject.
“I, myself, have a diverse mixed background, including Italian, Indian and a few other things,” Shah says. “Talking to patients about which identities they identify with really is a great way of getting this conversation started.”
While rhinoplasties at times hold the notion that it disregards diversity, diverting people from the procedure altogether, there are certain functions patients want to change, regardless of ethnicity, including deviation. Within many ethnicities, too, there are, per se, more desirable features than others that don't necessarily mean westernized, but more symmetrical according to their genetic codes. More recently, liquid, or non-surgical rhinoplasties using filler have stood out, specifically for its implication on ethnic noses, to help define the nasal bridge, nasal tip and smooth small imperfections, all while maintaining the patient's unique features.
Many plastic surgeons understand this idea in regard to rhinoplasty, studying techniques that welcome ancestral noses without diminishing their composition. The first technique that surgeons highlight is the consultation process. Shah says a better consultation involves the surgeon asking about how the patient perceives their identity in a conversational manner, and less so in a clinical or interrogative fashion.
Adam Weinfield, MD, president of the Rhinoplasty Society, says rhinoplasty specific to noses of African descent will be a major focus at the society’s annual meeting in May 2026, as this conversation becomes more prevalent. African-American patients, Shah says, are often a mix of many cultures, making their nose one of the most diverse and complex noses on the planet.
Weinfield, similar to Shah’s experience, says patients are increasingly asking not to “westernize” their appearance, and that patients of Latin American ancestry, African ancestry or Asian and Middle Eastern ancestry, are making the distinction between wanting a better nose versus a different nose.
“A better nose is a version of their nose that retains that thick characteristics, but doesn’t transform the appearance to one of a different ethnicity,” he says.
Surgeons are increasingly using customized techniques—like hybrid rhinoplasty and advanced imaging tools—to enhance nasal features while preserving ethnic identity.Courtesy of Rabizo Anatolii at Adobe StockMerging Technological Precision with Culturally Informed, Patient-Led Aesthetic Goals
Every great design starts with a blueprint or CAD drawing, Shah says. Once an image is established, Shah then interposes it with a patient’s pre-existing nose and creates a series of calculations that create millimetric differences. Using advanced nasal reshaping tools, including ultrasonic rasps, he is able to precisely change patients’ nasal shapes to closely match the design blueprint, whether it be surgical or through the use of filler. Since technology like this has advanced in recent years, allowing conversations around ethnicity to be distinct in the surgical chair, these tools enable surgeons to plan and visualize the surgical procedure with high precision based on a patient's unique anatomy.
In the operating room, Weinfield credits the techniques of Eser Yuksel, who was a mentor to him, and also hybrid techniques, to preserving important features. When deciding how to approach an ethnic nose that doesn't correct, while addressing the features patients wish to fix, is by dividing regions of the nose in three parts. This is essential, as analyzing the nose as a single entity may neglect specific parts of the nose to prioritize cohesion, whereas separating into three parts, including upper third, middle third and lower third, can pinpoint what may be affecting the patient, whether it be breathing better or adjusting a specific curve, to blend into the overall integrity of the nose.
In 2012, Yuksel published a study in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery [1], looking at the role of fat grafting in primary rhinoplasty, concluding that fat grafting can deliver the advantage of minimized dissection and improved skin quality. A hybrid approach, on the other hand, combines elements of structural rhinoplasty with dorsal preservation, and is particularly well-suited for ethnic rhinoplasty, Weinfield says. This is because it allows for highly customized adjustments to the dorsal shape, projection and the width of the upper two-thirds of the nose, “ensuring precise contour and width.”
If a patient with a prominent dorsal hump—as seen in some Middle Eastern or Latino noses—wishes to reduce it but retain a small, subtle component of the hump, a hybrid preservation-structural approach makes this easier to achieve than either preservation rhinoplasty or open structural rhinoplasty alone, he explains.
“Another benefit of the hybrid method is the ability to precisely control the width of the nose, which may not be as feasible with preservation rhinoplasty by itself,” he explains.
Filler And The Delicate Balance Of Beauty And Tradition
After distinguishing parts of the nose into three parts, Weinfeld says hyaluronic filler, a non-surgical liquid rhinoplasty technique, is another feasible option, and tends to be the most favorable for ethnic noses in particular. The process adds some volume to the nose and can disguise a hump by adding volume above and below it on the bridge of the nose or create more tip rotation by adding filler to the climb and the area beneath the tip. The procedure lasts up to six months, is not permanent and can temporarily add volume, enhance the tip of the nose, smooth out lumps, camouflage a bump on the bridge or straighten a slightly crooked nose [2].
What's important to note about liquid rhinoplasties is that it doesn't seek to narrow the nose or make it smaller—often associated with more western noses. In many cases, it can make the nose appear more symmetrical and that is all, hence its favorable profile. The procedure has become more dominant over the last decade, especially as new fillers have become FDA-approved in recent years.
If used sparingly, fillers can create some change in the nose without erasing ethnic character of the nose, Weinfield says. However, if fillers are maximized, they might have the negative effect of erasing ethnicity. The importance of moderation and artistry is an important principle, he says, when trying to avoid removing the ethnic character of a nose and making it look like the “ubiquitous western.”
“That’s why it is important to have a conversation about the patient’s goals,” he says. “The nice thing about fillers, though, is that as the patient is awake, you can incrementally show them the changes in a mirror real time and decide to add more if the patient desires more.”
Skin type and cartilage size in rigidity have significant impacts on techniques, whether it be surgical or with filler. The thickness of skin in the African, some Middle Eastern, southeast Asian and even American noses can limit the amount of definition that can be created in the tip region of the nose. When dealing with the upper 2/3 of the nose, Weinfield says even people with thick skin will still respond to fillers, but when the skin of the lower third of the nose is extremely thick, that’s where surgeons see some of the limitations of fillers and opt for surgical intervention.
More patients are celebrating their ancestral features, choosing to highlight the unique beauty of their ethnic noses rather than erase them.Courtesy of photostockatinat at Adobe StockEthnicity Is Not One Size Fits All When It Comes to Nose Surgery
Middle Eastern patients, for example, are almost impossible to group in the category of Middle Eastern, Shah says. There’s so many different ethnicities, tribes and countries, where patients can have a different perception of their nose, and how they ultimately want to look. Shah explains that factors like wearing a hijab, could actually impact how you reshape the nose.
“The hijab can be quite demanding in making sure a nose matches someone’s face perfectly. East Asian patients often want the bridge taller, but a key aspect over here is making the bridge feel and look natural.”
There’s rhinoplasty surgeons who are still doing "cookie cutter" rhinoplasties, however, Shah says. Most surgeons still use chisels and prefer to create an overly scooped nose, he adds. Many surgeons also try to simplify what patients want by making the same type of nose for everyone, ignoring individual details and especially ignoring their identity.
“It’s difficult to advise surgeons on how to create something beautiful, as it would be like instructing a sculptor to be Michelangelo,” Shah says. “Making a nose appropriate and ethically responsible takes empathy to understand a patient's perspective, motivation by the surgeon and perhaps we’ll use the word talent to create something beautiful, and technical skill to make the nose as ideal as possible.”
Individual Beauty Begins with Listening and Respecting Identity
Weinfield’s personal definition of the art of working with ethnic noses can be distilled to one word: “listen.” He says the surgeon listens to the patient, who describes their values and individual definition of beauty, and the surgeon fulfills by knowing the right techniques that are necessary to create the patient’s vision.
He recommends that those interested in performing rhinoplasty on patients from different ethnic backgrounds first spend a lot of time learning about rhinoplasty in general, including the anatomy and different techniques of closed and open structure and preservation. After listening to the patient, assembling a plan using the most pertinent techniques according to the patient’s anatomy will achieve a result that they want, upholding the degree of ethnic character they described.
“I never assume everyone from a certain identity wants the same nose,” Shah says. “Beauty is individual, and ethnicity is only one part of making a nose, a beautiful part of reshaping their face.”
Surgeons are increasingly using customized techniques—like hybrid rhinoplasty and advanced imaging tools—to enhance nasal features while preserving ethnic identity.Courtesy of Rabizo Anatolii at Adobe Stock
Surgeons are increasingly using customized techniques—like hybrid rhinoplasty and advanced imaging tools—to enhance nasal features while preserving ethnic identity.Courtesy of Rabizo Anatolii at Adobe Stock
More patients are celebrating their ancestral features, choosing to highlight the unique beauty of their ethnic noses rather than erase them.Courtesy of photostockatinat at Adobe Stock
