There are as many different noses in the world as there are people- this is one reason rhinoplasty surgery is always different and challenging (and fun) for surgeons. However, there are some basic nose shapes that divide among ethnic lines. These include the leptorrhine nose (Caucasian), platyrrhine nose (flatter, wider nose) and mesorrhine nose (somewhere in between).
In addition to these classifications, patients tend to self-classify their noses at our San Diego rhinoplasty center as “bulbous,” “wide,” “droopy,” “crooked,” “hump nose,” etc. In reality, surgeons usually describe each nose from top to bottom in their notes, with patients having diverse combinations of some or all of these features.
