Nose Job Without the Knife

Feb. 11, 2007 — -- Your nose can be both the most defining and sometimes interfering feature on your face. With all those different shapes and sizes, it's no surprise that Americans are obsessed with wanting it to look perfect.

"I've wanted a nose job for a very long time and I've … considered rhinoplasty, but I don't think I'm physically and emotionally ready to go under the knife," said Gayle Mizrahi.

She won't have to now that cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Cameron Rokhsar has developed a new, non-surgical, virtually painless alternative.

Using small amounts of a cosmetic dermal filler, known as radiesse, Rokhsar can smooth out the bumps and instantly restore a more symmetric look to a patient's nose.

Rokhsar injects radiesse into the areas around the area that the patient wants to hide, then molds it, contouring the gel-like substance into the shape of a natural-looking nose; he's done in about 15 minutes.

But for some patients, like Bernadette Andres, it's more about actually creating a nose rather than just correcting it.

"Throughout my life, being Filipino, they say I don't have a nose bridge, so everyone keeps on saying … 'Oh, you should get a nose job done,'" Andres said.

Unlike the traditional rhinoplasty, the patient calls the shots.

"She can actually tell me and direct me to the way she wants her nose -- a luxury she wouldn't have had she been asleep during the procedure," Rokhsar said.

After the procedure, Andres was amazed with the results.

"It was a quick change and I like it. It's natural," she said. "I think when I go home to my family, they're gonna see this and go, 'Oh my God!' They'll all want to do it now."