LAUSR

Sir: Dr. Patel’s letter is greatly appreciated. I agree entirely with him that the population of the Indian subcontinent is not monolithic, and has a tremendous variation in nasal morphology. As he suggests, the northern/southern dichotomy highlighted in the article1 is one of many ways of differentiating the nasal characteristics found in the various subpopulations in the region. For example, the population in the eastern Indian states of Assam, Nagaland, and Mizoram, which abut Myanmar and China, is likely to have very different anthropometric characteristics than the population in the western Pakistani province of Balochistan, which shares a border with Iran. To Dr. Patel’s point, this is a topic that would benefit from further research, whether it is an analysis of differences in nasal shape and anatomy, or the differences in the aesthetic goals of patients from different regions. My hope is that rhinoplasty surgeons approaching the “Indian” patient will keep in mind that the lack of a typical Indian nose necessitates a careful individual analysis of each patient’s anatomy and goals to create an appropriate surgical plan and achieve an optimal outcome. DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000003526