JPlasty

JPlasty is a specific technique developed by me (Dr. Janjua) to improve the ethnic nose. After 25 years of working on ethnic noses, the technique has evolved into a perfect answer for wide noses seen in certain ethnic groups, especially African Americans and Black Americans. Early on in my career, I started getting requests from ethnic patients to give them a nose job that would maintain their ethnic look and not give them a “Barbie” nose. I also heard a lot of complaints about patients going for nose job consultations and being offered a “Full Rhinoplasty.” There seemed to be a disconnect between the plastic surgeons and the ethnic patients.

I was able to solve this mystery by realizing that my ethnic patients only needed to shrink their nasal tips and narrow their wide nostrils. This was an “aha” moment. This led me to “Alarplasty,” the orphan sidekick of a rhinoplasty. This procedure was underutilized in ethnic groups due to the fact that it is complicated and irreversible. I was able to revive “Alarplasty” by talking about it on blogs and my website and by making videos. Over the last twenty-five years, the word has become well known, and the procedure has become a standalone procedure. Surgeons and patients alike use this word comfortably.

After solving the issue of wide nostrils, I had to address the tip. I realized that most of my ethnic patients want to maintain the natural shape of the tip but make it smaller. I employed many techniques for the tip, including open tip-plasty, closed delivery approach tip-plasty, closed partial delivery approach tip-plasty, and finally closed transcartilaginous tip-plasty. I found the last technique to be the least disruptive of the natural tip anatomy while still delivering the narrowing effect. As I started using the technique more often, it became clear to me that this needed to be popularized for the masses to draw a comparison between a full rhinoplasty and a JPlasty. It is also important to use simple terminology to make a term universally understood and accepted. This makes the communication between surgeons and patients clear and concise.

To make it simple:

JPLASTY = ALARPLASTY + TIP-PLASTY

During my consultations with patients, I frequently ask them to do a test. I have them cover the bottom half of their nose and look only at the upper half. The majority of the time, patients are satisfied. Then I ask them to reveal the bottom half of the nose. Suddenly, everything changes. The abrupt widening of the nose makes the nose look too big for the face. The large nose becomes a distracting feature and affects the overall beauty of the face.

The nose does not need to stand out on the face saying, “Hey! Look at me, look at me.” It has to just blend into the facial features to make the overall facial appearance attractive. You will notice that people comment on others’ beautiful eyes, lips, or high cheeks. Nobody ever comments on a nose. However, once the nose stands out, it affects the overall beauty of the face. JPlasty is like a gentle paintbrush that blends the nose into the face to make it a part of the whole and not a standout feature in the center of the face.

It is important to compare the differences between JPlasty and rhinoplasty. The table below covers the main differences.

RHINOPLASTY	JPLASTY
Full anesthesia	Local anesthesia only
Rib cartilage	No
Ear cartilage	No
Silicone or Gore-Tex implants	No
Pain	No
Bruising	No
Prolonged healing	No
Stay in town for a few days	No
Regular follow-ups needed	No
One to two weeks off	No

As you can see, JPlasty is an in-and-out procedure. You come in, get the surgery done, and leave to go back home. You can even get on a plane right after surgery. The sutures dissolve on their own, so you don’t have to come back. All follow-ups can be virtual, so there is no need to fly back. These differences draw a distinct line between a JPlasty and a rhinoplasty.

I hope this introduction gives you enough pause to think about whether you might need just a JPlasty rather than a rhinoplasty.

JPlasty FAQs

For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact us or call (908) 470-2600.