Nose jobs are one of the most common plastic surgery procedures.

But not every form of rhinoplasty is as involved – or as permanent – as you might guess. In fact, one type of nose job happens so quickly – in just 10 minutes – that you practically could do it over your lunch break before heading back to the office.

Instead of surgery, this nose job involves an injection – and it’s an option that’s gaining in popularity, according to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Some people don’t want to go under the knife and they aren’t after significant and permanent changes to their nose,” says Dr. Deepak Raj Dugar, a world-renowned Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. “Instead, they are looking for subtle, temporary results.”

Dugar specializes in the Scarless Nose (closed rhinoplasty) surgical technique, but he also performs many non-surgical procedures for the face and body, such as the 10-minute nose job that uses injections of hyaluronic-acid-based fillers.

“These fillers are often used for lip and facial enhancement, but also can be used on your nose,” Dugar says.

For anyone considering non-surgical (liquid) rhinoplasty, Dugar says there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Fillers will only mask a bump and hide asymmetries. This procedure does not make your nose smaller or give you an overall different shape. You’ll need surgical rhinoplasty to achieve that. “But you can fill around a bump to create an illusion of a straighter nose,” Dugar says. “Be aware, though, that using filler adds volume to the nose, so if your concern is that your nose is too big or crooked you would not be a good candidate.” On the other hand, this does help correct a droopy nose by lifting the tip slightly. 
  • Choose your injector carefully. When it comes to the nose, technique is everything, Dugar says. Some areas of the nose should be off limits to the injections, he says, such as the alar rims, the bony sidewalls and the glabella (the skin and underlying bone between the eyebrows, just above the nose). There can be serious consequences, he says, so you should carefully research the procedure and the person who will be doing it.
  • Do you want a temporary or permanent fix? This non-surgical approach has a relatively short shelf life to it, so don’t go into the procedure expecting to change your nose forever, Dugar says. The longevity of fillers can range from six to 12 months, but sometimes can stretch into as long as two years. In contrast, a surgical rhinoplasty is a permanent fix to your problem.

“If you want to make changes to your nose, or any facial feature, you should weigh the pros and cons of a permanent solution vs. a temporary solution,” Dugar says. “You need to decide what it is you are really after and then determine if the procedure you’re considering will accomplish that.”