Ideal Triangle and Tip-Defining Points
Similar to the golden ratios of beauty, the nasal tip should form a harmonious triangle with the precise tip-defining points to create the ideal nose.
Tip-Plasty
Tip-plasty is a specific part of rhinoplasty where the nasal tip is reshaped or enhanced, whether it’s improving definition, projection, or symmetry. This procedure is carefully tailored to suit your facial features, ensuring natural and balanced results. With a focus on precision, tip-plasty offers subtle yet impactful changes that enhance your overall appearance while preserving your unique character.
Dr Terence Goh
MBBS
MMed
MRCS
FAMS
Tip-Plasty: Refining the Nasal Tip
The nasal tip greatly influences facial depth and character. Even a small adjustment can lead to a noticeable transformation.
As the most intricate part of the nose to shape, the tip is a defining feature in rhinoplasty. Despite its small size, it significantly impacts your overall appearance. By using your own tissue, we can refine the tip’s projection to create a balanced nose with natural, elegant lines.
Candidates for Tip-plasty include patients that:
- Want to reduce a bulbous tip
- Require augmentation of a flat tip
- Desire a refined sophisticated tip
- Need deprojecting an upturned tip (pig-nosed)
- Have a crooked tip
- Have a droopy lip
- Are performing a nose lengthening procedure
Understanding what happens during Tip-plasty
Explaining the ANATOMY + CARTILAGE GRAFT + SUTURE TECHINQUE for natural tip-plasty
Use of Ear (Auricular) Cartilage Grafts
The ear is an ideal source of natural cartilage, offering soft yet durable material ideal for enhancing the nasal domes. This allows for the creation of a refined, well-defined tip.
The cartilage is carefully stacked and precisely stitched to shape and stabilise the tip, achieving the desired contours and a sophisticated appearance.
Expert use of fine suture techniques
Absorbable fine sutures are used to reshape the alar cartilages, enhancing projection and sculpting a well-defined tip. This meticulous approach ensures a delicate, refined result achieved through precision and skillful stitching.
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Customising Tip-Plasty for Different Noses
Our surgical approach is tailored to your unique tip structure to achieve optimal results with minimal downtime.
Nose tip already has some shape
For nasal tips that already have some structure, extensive surgery is not required. Simple onlay grafts created from your ear cartilage can create a natural dome and improve your tip without the need for any septal work.
In cases of weak or widely splayed lower lateral cartilages, the nasal tip lacks support. Simple onlay grafting alone is insufficient, as the heavy tip may droop or lose shape over time. To address this, the tripod structure must be reinforced with sutures to create a stable tip. Columellar strut grafts may also be required to provide additional support.
Although not visible, the septum is a necessary support structure for the nose and serves as the foundation for the tip. Patients with a weak or poorly formed septum may require septal extension grafts to establish a stable base. Without this reinforcement, the tip may droop or lose height over time.
Reduction of Bulbous Tip and Alar-plasty
The fleshy nasal tip adds to the weight of a droopy and poorly defined tip. Reduction of the fleshy tip will allow the underlying cartilage to create a defined nasal tip. Together with reduction of the fleshy side walls of the nose, the alar can be made narrow to complete the look to create a refined and more petite nose.
Getting Tip-plasty Right
Facial Harmony and the Nasal Tip
The shape of the nasal tip and the seamless line from the dorsum to the tip are key to creating a natural and aesthetically pleasing nose. Concurrent dorsal augmentation is often a popular choice for achieving balanced results. Additional procedures such as eyelid surgery or philtrum reduction can be performed at the same time to enhance facial harmony.
Your Own Cartilage for the Most Natural Tip
While various materials can be used to reshape the nasal tip, we no longer use L-shaped silicone implants with built-in tips due to their high risk of extrusion and rejection. The most reliable and natural option is using your own cartilage, which eliminates the risk of rejection and becomes permanent once healed.
Creating a Stable, Long-Lasting Tip
A strong foundation is necessary to ensure the nasal tip retains its shape and position over time. By combining cartilage grafts with precise suture techniques, we create a stable nasal tip that is both durable and aesthetically refined.
Rhinoplasty Tailored to Asian Noses
Dr Terence Goh
Choosing to combine the intricate skills of microsurgery with aesthetic surgery, Dr Goh specialises in gynaecomastia, surgery of the Asian face, particularly Asian eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty.
Blending the precision of microsurgery with the artistry of aesthetic surgery, Dr Goh has a special interest in gynaecomastia, facial procedures, including ptosis and eyelid surgery, as well as rhinoplasty.
He also offers a full range of body contouring procedures such as mummy makeovers, breast augmentation, liposuction, and body sculpting—designed to help patients feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin.
Beyond aesthetics, Dr Goh remains active in reconstructive microsurgery, with expertise in breast reconstruction, head and neck reconstruction, and lower limb salvage—restoring both form and function where it’s needed most.
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, National University of Singapore
- Master of Medicine, National University of Singapore
- Member of the Royal College of Surgeons
- Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (Plastic Surgery)
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