The longevity of the nonsurgical rhinoplasty: A literature review.

[INTRODUCTION] Non-surgical rhinoplasty is one of the terms used to describe the technique of injecting fillers into the nasal pyramid region for aesthetic, and sometimes functional, purposes. Although it is now an extremely popular practice, the techniques proposed and the products used are different. This inhomogeneity is also found regarding the treatment longevity.

[METHOD] A literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). It was realized to collect information on this disputed topic. Pubmed/MEDLINE database was explored.

[RESULTS] A total of 228 articles were extracted from the basic literature search. 81 of these were excluded based on the content of the title and abstract. All 147 remaining articles were submitted for full-reading. 49 of these were excluded because the injection product used by the authors was not a hyaluronic acid based filler; while 82 of these were excluded because they provided no indication regarding the longevity of the treatment. Of the 16 selected studies, according to six authors, the duration of treatment is therefore between 8 and 12 months. For all the others, instead, the results seem to last longer than this period. The longest time interval was 8 years.

[DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION] Establishing with certainty the longevity of non-surgical rhinoplasty seemed to be extremely complex. In the light of this discordant data seems to be essential to deepen the argument. A study using imaging techniques and/or standardized photographic material appears essential to further investigate this controversial topic.