Rhinoplasty...

I have a son that is 16 yrs. old and will be 17 in December.  He told me that he feels uncomfortable about the change in his nose, as it has gotten a bit larger.  I know that his body is still going through changes, because he's going thru puberty.  I told him that it gives him character...it kinda looks like some of my favorite actors, that i can't think of at the moment.  We have some British and Irish in our family, and i think he looks very handsome.  However, none of this seems to be of any consolation to him.  He's at that age where he is kinda sensitive, and the kids at school don't help at all.  He said they call him "Toucan Sam" and other stuff like that...he laughs along with them but i know it really bothers him.  Anyway, he told me that he would like to correct this with surgery.  He mentioned something that he saw online, where they use some kind of filler that is injected above the bridge to fill in that area.  I wanted to get an expert opinion on this, and what age is beneficial to plastic surgery procedures...is he too young?   I would really appreciate your help with this.

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

Fillers can be useful in the nose in selected patients.  Surgery is the other alternative and can be quite successful.  I would consider being evaluated by a local plastic surgeon.for either alternative.  Provided there is evidence that he is virtually over puberty growth, then surgery would be considered.