Picking the right nose for your face is not as easy as flicking through a celebrity glossy and choosing your favourite one. While many factors need to be taken into account the most important are your nose’s shape, size and proportions. A good nose job will radically improve the appearance of your entire face.

Before seeing your surgeon ask yourself the following question, what type of nose do I have? To help prompt you, think about the following list:

1. Big nose:
Is your nose too big for your face? Young women often inherit their mother’s good looks, but their father’s big nose. Making a patient’s nose proportionate to their face softens one’s whole look.

2. Pointy nose:
Does your nose taper to a pointy tip? This can look mean or witch-like and always benefits from a gentle rounding off.

3. Bulbous nose:
Normal nose but big tip? Unlike the pointy tip, some people’s nose tip is like a big, round ball. Simply refining the tip can bring balance back to the nose, and indeed the face.

4. Flat nose:
Building up a flat, wide nose can make all the difference. Many “ethnic” rhinoplasty patients benefit from augmenting (building up) the nose rather than reducing it in size. This is far more sympathetic to the overall appearance of the face.

5. Crooked nose:
Straightening a crooked nose involves re-breaking the bones, and straightening the septum. Some patients end up with a crooked nose after an accident, while other patients are born with one.

6. Hump nose:
This is one of the most common complaints that brings a patient to their surgeon. The hump contributes to the size of the nose, making it look big, and of course its shape. Hump reduction rhinoplasty patients are invariably happy with their surgery.

7. Revision nose:
Patients who require revision surgery after a previous rhinoplasty require an extra detailed assessment and attention, because it is never as easy second time around.

But first things first, consult a FRACS qualified surgeon, who specialises performing nose jobs. He or she can walk you through the process. Take your time to understand what is being explained to you, ask as many questions as you need to, see your surgeon at least twice before the day of surgery and don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion.