Any bride-to-be will be familiar with the extensive beauty check list that's made in the lead up to the big day. From low key manicures and last minute hair trims to the more extreme end of the bridal beauty spectrum where body sculpting treatments, laser facials, and full dental makeovers are booked in, there's a never ending line of financés patiently awaiting their next appointment. Top of my list before I got married last winter? A nose job. Sounds extreme, but the one I wanted is not the kind that requires anaesthetic, or even any time off work - it's an in and out jobby. Bit of numbing cream, a few needle pricks and a spare five minutes is all that it took to have me feeling much more confident in my wedding pictures.
Non-surgical rhinoplasty, or nose filler as it's commonly known, is a treatment designed to alter the shape of the nose while respecting its anatomy without - you guessed it - surgical intervention. So what actually is a five-minute nose job? 'Usually it involves hyaluronic acid soft tissue filler incrementally and strategically injected along the dorsum, or bridge of the nose,' explains aesthetic doctor Dr Yusra Al-Mukhtar, who says that the most common reasons people book in is 'to mask a hump, hide and improve deviations, reposition and lift a tip or correct a downward drooping tip.'
Growing up in a large extended family where large, drooped noses are a family trait, I was constantly told that I'd been blessed with the best of the bunch. However, candid pictures that caught my side profile off-guard left me self-conscious and I've always had a feeling that I'd feel, well, just a bit better about myself if my nose looked a little more lifted and was a bit straighter - from all angles. I developed a knack for only been snapped from my 'good side' and I became a pro at contouring. As my wedding drew nearer, and I became conscious of the fact that there would be a lot of pictures taken, I decided that I wanted to look and - crucially - feel my best no matter what angle the camera was pointing at.
I'm not alone. Dr Yusra, who has been performing the treatment at the Dr Yusra Clinic for eight years, confirms that non-surgical rhinoplasty is a popular treatment for brides. In fact, it has one of the highest rates of satisfaction amongst clients thanks to its transformative results.
'The nose is an area that causes people exceptional pain and distress, with many patients feeling that they hate their nose, not just dislike it. They do not approach this as a beauty treatment but a reconstructive treatment, where they seek help to address physical and aesthetic burdens as well as the psychological ones,' Dr Yusra points out.
There are many pros to this tweakment. Unlike the surgical procedure, nose filler is significantly friendly to your wallet (prices start at £595 at Dr Yusra's Clinic), compared to the average price of a surgical rhinoplasty which, according to the NHS, can set you back anywhere from between £4,000 to £7,000. The non-surgical nose job is also low risk and requires little to no downtime. Plus, if you're not happy with the results it can be tweaked - and tweaked - until you land on the nose of your dreams.
I can certainly attest to the dramatically transformative results. During my wedding, when there are already one hundred and one things to think about, I didn't worry about what my nose might look like in pictures at all. I was care-free, present and totally confident, which is how any bride should feel. And the pictures? Let's just say I love a good candid picture now.
If you've ever considered a non-surgical nose job yourself, here's everything you need to know.
How long does nose filler last?
Dr Yusra describes this tweakment as the gift that keeps giving, having found that the results really do last. 'I've seen results last up to four years. On average the first time you get it done it will last 12 to 18 months, the second time you get it done it will last 18 months to two years, and by the third time, it lasts several years and you may never have to get it done again.'
Before my wedding, I had had filler in my nose once before in 2021. Two years post-procedure, I had seen very slight changes and really questioned whether my nose would ever revert back to its former self given the serious longevity of results – a testament to Dr Yusra's observations.
Is nose filler dangerous?
Patients generally have no downtime and can go straight back to work, which is why many often call this the lunchtime tweakment, given how quickly you can be in and out of the clinic. You may experience some mild swelling which gets progressively better post-treatment.
If you notice a rash of white filled spots developing, Dr Yusra warns this could be a very rare complication called a vascular compromise, which would require urgent treatment to reverse the filler. 'The beauty of non-surgical rhinoplasty is that if patients don't like the results or if there is a complication it can quickly be reversed using the antidote hyaluronidase, a prescription-only medication. It is important to understand that only medical professionals can access this medication, which is why it is so important that this procedure is only preformed by a medical professional.'
The anatomy of the nose is complex meaning there are some risks involved with the treatment. The vascular systems in the nose communicate with the eyes, and there have been documented cases of permanent visual loss in relation to nose filler but this is a globally accepted risk which is very (very) rare. Dr Yusra has also introduced ultrasound into her clinic (a new modality in the world of aesthetics) to help visualise where vessels are sitting beneath the skin so they can be avoided during the treatment.
How long does nose filler take to heal?
Dr Yusra's aftercare advice is to avoid make-up in the first 12 hours of receiving the treatment, avoid excessive exercise for the first three days post-treatment, and avoid wearing glasses for two weeks. Following these rules will give your nose the best chance of healing correctly.
While there is some mild redness and swelling to begin with, this quickly passes in the matter of days after your treatment. I found that it took a few days for my very slight swelling to completely reduce and within two weeks the filler felt like it had fully settled into my nose.
What happens during a nose filler treatment?
After a robust consultation with Dr Yusra to asses my concerns, expectations and the impact of my nose of my mental wellbeing, I was deemed fit for a nasal makeover, which started with a coat of numbing cream. She then marked up my nose and began to work her magic.
Dr Yusra has honed her own technique over the last eight years. Her ALR method (meaning Align, Lift, and Refine), which she also teaches to other non-surgical rhinoplasty doctors, sees her approach the treatment systematically. She begins by augmenting the radix, the most depressed area at the top of the nose bridge, by placing filler at the site to align the bridge. She then moves on to the tip of the nose, to improve the highlight and lift the tip to provide a 'nose lift' (as her patients lovingly call in), and finishes by refining any deviation.
'We use micro droplets, meaning tiny volumes of filler, that are placed onto the deepest structures of the nose - either the bone in the upper third of the nose or the cartilage in the lower two thirds. By doing this we can straighten and shorten the nose from the root to the tip. And that is why, although we are adding volume to the nose, we are doing so strategically using a high density filler with an ability to project with precision and lifting capacity to emulate bone, making the nose look smaller and straighter.'
The procedure itself was over in five minutes and when I was handed a mirror I couldn't believe I was looking back at my now perfect nose. The drooping and slight hump had gone, in its place was a straight, proportional nose with a perfect notch (which Dr Yusra tells me means a lifted Barbie-like tip).
You could stop there, but Dr Yusra specialises in profile balancing, to improve the harmony, balance and proportion of the upper mid and lower face. When it comes to the nose it is important to assess the position of the lips and chin in relation to the nose as patients who have a dorsal hump deformity (bumps on the nose) will likely have an underdeveloped or weak chin, too. A small chin creates the illusion of a larger nose, but an astute clinician will be able to conduct a full face assessment and never treat facial features in isolation of each other. Where the nose, lips and chin aren't in good alignment, profile balancing and harmonisation is preformed as an adjunctive treatment, which may include chin augmentation and sometimes lip augmentation.
When Dr Yusra preformed my non-surgical rhinoplasty, she also treated my chin to improve the balance of my profile and enhance the overall harmony of my face.
Does nose filler hurt?
The pain levels of this treatment will vary from person to person given that we all have varying pain thresholds, but I found that, with the help of numbing cream, the procedure was very bearable. You will feel slight pinches which feels worse at the tip of the nose, but otherwise it is generally comfortable.
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia UK's Beauty Writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
