Voice Changes May Follow 'Nose Job' in Some Patients

Having a "nose job" might not just change your profile, it could also change your voice, according to a small new study.

Researchers examined voice changes among 22 women and five men who had nose plastic surgery (rhinoplasty) at two hospitals in Iran.

The patients and "trained listeners" noticed voice changes after surgery, but these changes generally didn't cause problems with speech function, according to the report in the February issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

However, people who are considering this type of surgery should be aware of potential voice changes, particularly those who use their voice professionally, noted Dr. Kamran Khazaeni and colleagues at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, in Iran.

The voice changes may be related to narrowing of the nasal cavity after surgery, the study authors pointed out in a journal news release.

"The changes in surface area of nasal cavity may increase airflow resistance and cause an increase in sound absorption and a decrease in passing sound amplitude," the researchers wrote in the study.

They noted that rhinoplasty is an increasingly popular surgery in Iran and a number of other countries.

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about rhinoplasty.