Surgery to enhance by changing the shape or reducing the size of the nose is called Rhinoplasty. This nose cosmetic surgery creates balance of the facial structure and a more aesthetic appeal to the face overall. Nose plastic surgery is necessary in cases of injury as well as aesthetic appeal. Trauma to the nose sustained by injury may require a surgeon's help for skillful repair and reconstruction. Plastic surgery for the nose is also performed to correct breathing problems and difficulties associated with congenital malformations.

Rhinoplasty may be used to correct aesthetic and functional problems of the bridge of the nose, problems between the nose and the upper lip due to malformations or distance, and also to alter the size and shape of the nostrils. Some surgical techniques are used to reduce the height or width of the nose, while some procedures involve adding bone tissue and cartilage to reshape and to add height. Plastic surgery for the nose takes approximately 1 to 2 hours and has little to no side effects except for bruising and swelling in the nose and eye areas of the face. In a small number of cases, some side effects involve having to repeat the surgical procedure due to complications of nose structure unrecognized during the first surgery.

Cosmetic nose surgery is one of the most common plastic surgeries performed for men and woman, as well as children under the age of 18.