Non-surgical rhinoplasty is a procedure in which no incisions are made to change/fix the shape of the nose. Dermal fillers such as hyaluronic acid are injected under the skin to plump up the concave areas or to change the shape of a particular portion of the nose.

Surgical rhinoplasty is a procedure in which incisions are made on the nose or inside of the nose as needed. Many corrections are possible with surgical rhinoplasty such as trimming off the extra lateral cartilage, widening of nasal septums or even straightening of the nose bridge. The changes are permanent and will need another surgery to make further changes/correction.

The non-surgical technique opens only very limited possibilities such as adding volume to the nose, making the tip of the nose plump, adding volume on one side of the nose bridge to make it even with the other side etc. The changes achieved through non-surgical technique are short lived and you may need to see your plastic surgeon after a few months.

No. Narrowing can be done only with surgical procedure. Narrowing a bigger / wider nose needs trimming off certain tissues and/or cartilage and can’t be done with fillers.

Most common fillers used in nonsurgical rhinoplasty are:

1. Hyaluronic Acid
2. Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA)

Filler rhinoplasty is the other medical term used for nonsurgical rhinoplasty.

Irrespective of the location, injecting fillers will do the following to the body:

1. The injected area will be swollen. (Since the particle size in fillers is larger, the body will not be able to eliminate it and it takes a long time to break them down.)
2. Redness and little itching is quite common as the skin stretches in a short period.
3. Movement of filler to the surrounding region. 
4. A little bit of numbness at the site of injection for a couple of days.

1. Nonsurgical procedures means near zero chance of infections.
2. You don’t need to take a day off to undergo the procedure.
3. This is a quick 1 hour procedure that can be done as an outpatient.
4. No incisions are made, meaning, no scars.
5. If anything goes wrong, the changes made can be reversed. Antidotes for the filler will be injected that break the particles into smaller units which can be eliminated by the body.

1. Fever
2. Swelling and bruising that doesn’t come down in a couple of days
3. Nausea
4. Death of tissue when the fillers are injected in the underlying blood vessel.
5. Possible loss of vision. 

Once you meet with your plastic surgeon, he/she will let you know what needs to be done depending on what you want to get done. In either case, the cost of the nose job will be communicated with you and your insurance provider may not cover the same.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty surgery in Chennai costs around Rs.20,000 depending on what needs to be done, expertise of the doctor and the hospital facility.