Addressing Potential Risks
All aesthetic and beauty treatments come with potential complications and side effects. With this particular medical-aesthetic treatment you are reducing your risk if you decide to have treatment with an experienced medical practitioner who operates using high standards of hygiene and infection control.
With any treatment that requires an injection, such as dermal fillers, there is a potential for bruising to occur, this is true for the ‘liquid nose job’ too. You should also be prepared for there to be swelling after the treatment and for a few days after; it’s good to understand that swelling can make the treatment area distorted in that immediate period so we would always suggest planning this treatment, ideally, a month before a special event to give you plenty of time for swelling to settle and, should a bruise occur, time for that to fully fade.
I can’t stress enough how much we recommend that a medical practitioner perform this treatment. As it stands in the UK, you don’t legally require any qualifications to pick up filler and charge someone to inject them with it; unfortunately, this is happening scarily frequently. Save Face was set up to help protect the public from such types.
Medical practitioners who specialise in aesthetic medicine possess in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy, including vascular structures, helping them to lower your chances of complications; they can fully understand your medical background allowing them to assess your suitability for the treatment; they’ll also have access to emergency medical facilities and medication so should the unlikely event of a complication arise they can act appropriately, effectively, and fast.
The Natural Reversal Process
The liquid nose job is not permanent. Although we find that there is good longevity of dermal fillers placed in this area, you should be prepared to have repeat treatments to maintain your outcomes. This is generally after around 18 months, depending on how quickly the individual metabolises the product.
Many people like the idea that it is not a permanent treatment, particularly if they’ve never had it before. The dermal fillers will gradually be broken down and safely removed from your body and can be dissolved in some cases should this be required after further consultation.
The Ideal Candidate for a Liquid Nose Job
Desire for Minor Changes
You must understand that for some people, surgical rhinoplasty will be the only option. Non-surgical rhinoplasty may be the ideal solution if you have minor drooping of the tip of your nose or you’re looking to smooth bumps or dips, improve asymmetry, and refine your nose, however, the liquid nose job is not able to make your nose smaller or offer you major restructuring.
It’s really important to have realistic expectations and be open-minded when having consultations, both surgical and non-surgical, so that ultimately you choose the right option for you (which may well be not to treat your nose at all) and so that, ultimately, you’re satisfied with the results you may achieve.
No Major Structural Issues
If you’re looking for or require major structural changes, non-surgical rhinoplasty won’t be for you. This includes addressing breathing problems-you will need surgical intervention.
A consultation is key for you to understand if you are a suitable candidate for a liquid-nose job.
Minimal Discomfort
During your treatment you may experience some discomfort, however, the liquid nose job is not a painful procedure that requires you to be put to sleep with general anaesthetic. The dermal fillers contain local anaesthetic to make the treatment area comfortable during the procedure and you’re most likely to feel a scratch of the needle entering and some pressure during the treatment as the dermal fillers are placed strategically in your nose.
As the local anaesthetic wears off, your nose may feel a little tender for a few days, alongside any swelling that may occur but our patients always find this manageable with over-the-counter pain medication if they require it.
The treatment itself is quite short, often around 30 minutes in total. As our nurse says: “It’s taken a lot of training and experience to make it look this easy!”.
Post-Treatment Sensations
Explain common post-treatment sensations, such as tenderness and swelling.
Offer tips on managing discomfort, including cold compresses and over-the-counter pain relief.
I’ve mentioned that it’s likely that you’ll experience swelling for a few days post-treatment; always plan for swelling to occur so that you don’t feel pressure for it to have gone before a social situation, particularly if it’s your first-ever treatment as, naturally, you’ll be uncertain what that post-treatment period will be like for you as a unique individual.
You can manage swelling by placing light cold compresses very gently on the area to help reduce any swelling more quickly. Additionally, the life of a bruise may be reduced by applying arnica cream (an herbal remedy) and, as I’ve mentioned, should you require it, over-the-counter pain medicine may be helpful during your recovery if you feel uncomfortable at all.
Is a Liquid Nose Job Worth It?
Weighing the Benefits
‘Is the liquid nose job worth it’ is a question that only you can answer. A medical practitioner can discuss the treatment with you and possible side effects/complications but only you will know in your heart if the possible results outweigh the possible side effects of treatment.
A few benefits of the liquid nose job that have stood out for our patients have been that
- You can walk away from the results-they are not permanent. Read about how long does non-surgical rhinoplasty last in our blog.
- The results can be dissolved if needed. We’ve not had this situation but it’s nice to know that it’s possible.
- Results can be ‘tweaked’ during further appointments should you and your practitioner feel it’s right to do so upon review.
- You don’t have the same risks as a surgical procedure that requires general anaesthetic.
- It’s a quick procedure with minimal recovery required in comparison to the surgical alternative.
Don’t rush into making a choice; you certainly should never feel pressured by your practitioner to go ahead with treatment and if you do feel that, then it’s your absolute right to say that you need to go away to consider everything.
Considering the Drawbacks
The liquid nose job can offer some outstanding, and quite frankly, life-changing results; take a look at some of our non-surgical rhinoplasty before and after photos in our comprehensive guide to this procedure. However, you must understand that non-surgical rhinoplasty does have its limitations, as mentioned above.
Essentially, if you’re looking to address breathing issues, non-surgical rhinoplasty is not going to help you. Equally, if you require major structural changes then surgical rhinoplasty may be the best option for you as we cannot remove skin or bone during the liquid nose job procedure.
If you aren’t willing to maintain the temporary results of your liquid nose job, then you may prefer to consider the surgical alternative which offers permanent changes to your nose.