Selfie Obsession Leading to Increased Demand for “Liquid Nose Jobs”

Mercer is one of hundreds of New Yorkers opting to sculpt their noses using fillers, a procedure that’s gaining traction on — and because of — social media. Like strategic makeup, the injections can contour a nose without the hassle, pain and price of surgery. (“It was like a pinprick,” says Mercer of her procedure.)

The treatment works by injecting small amounts of hyaluronic acid just below the skin on the bridge of the nose, and can straighten out bumps, camouflage asymmetry or rectify a botched rhinoplasty.

“[The fillers] create a pyramid [effect] so that when light hits the nose, it appears more contoured, less flat and thus less wide,” says Dr. Melissa Doft, who practices on the Upper East Side and treated Mercer. The effects last about a year, fading as the fillers are metabolized by the body.

Doft says the procedure is one of the industry’s best-kept secrets — although patients are catching on.