Rhinoplasty is performed by surgeons who trained in ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery, by plastic surgeons, and by “facial plastic surgeons” who come from either of those two backgrounds. Websites often claim that one group is clearly better. Research does not settle it. What you can check is the individual surgeon’s training, credentials and experience with cases like yours.

Key takeaways

  • Rhinoplasty is performed by ENT surgeons, plastic surgeons and facial plastic surgeons trained in one of those two; research does not settle which is better.
  • Turkish residency curricula for both ENT and plastic surgery list rhinoplasty, so neither specialty owns the nose on paper.
  • Professional societies speak for their own members, so that context matters when reading each society's advice.
  • Verified training, a record with your kind of case and honest communication matter more than the title.

Two specialties, one operation

A 2025 study of US hospital records opens by noting that rhinoplasty is typically performed by either ENT surgeons (otolaryngologists) or plastic surgeons (Chinta and colleagues, PubMed). In the United States, the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS) says two specialties contain identifiable training in facial plastic surgery: otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, and plastic surgery. To be certified by the ABFPRS, a surgeon must have finished a residency in one of them, hold prior board certification in it, have practiced at least two years, have 100 operative reports accepted by a peer-review committee and pass an examination (ABFPRS; application requirements). The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery says its members are board certified, a majority through the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and others in plastic surgery, ophthalmology or dermatology (AAFPRS).

So a “facial plastic surgeon” is not a third kind of doctor. It describes a surgeon who focuses on the face and neck after training in one of the established specialties, sometimes with an extra credential. If you are comparing surgeons for another face or neck operation, such as a neck lift, the same label checks apply.

What the profile says What it can tell you What it cannot tell you
ENT surgeon, otolaryngologist Residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery How often the surgeon operates on noses for cosmetic reasons
Plastic surgeon Residency in plastic surgery; in the US, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) points to certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery How much of the practice is rhinoplasty
Facial plastic surgeon A focus on the face and neck; ABFPRS certification requires earlier certification in ENT or plastic surgery Whether this surgeon actually holds the ABFPRS credential, which you check with the board’s own finder
“Rhinoplasty specialist” on its own Nothing you can verify Training, board or register status; ask what it refers to

What does training look like in Türkiye?

Many readers of this site are considering surgery in Türkiye, where both specialties have their own residency. The Ministry of Health publishes core training curricula for each (the TUKMOS documents):

  • The ENT curriculum, valid from 11 September 2019, gives the residency as five years. Its list of surgical skills includes septorhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty, and it has a facial plastic surgery section that lists rhinoplasty alongside blepharoplasty and facelift.
  • The plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery curriculum, valid from 28 September 2018, describes a five-year training period and lists rhinoplasty among its aesthetic procedures.

On paper, then, neither specialty owns the nose. In practice too, both ENT and plastic surgeons commonly perform rhinoplasty in Turkey, and ENT surgeons are particularly strong where function and aesthetics are combined (editorial note, October 2026). These documents describe what a training program is meant to teach. They do not say how many noses a particular surgeon has operated on, and say nothing about how closely individual programs follow them.

What does the research show?

The research is limited.

A US hospital database study. Chinta and colleagues reviewed 2,127 rhinoplasty patients from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, covering 2005 to 2020. ENT surgeons operated on 58.9% of them and plastic surgeons on 41.1%. The patients were not alike: those treated by ENT surgeons were more often male and smokers, had longer operations and differed on the anesthesia risk class. Among the complications examined, the paper highlights 30-day sepsis, found in 0.1% of ENT patients and 0.8% of plastic surgery patients. Those percentages work out to about one case against seven, and the authors’ own confidence interval for the adjusted odds ratio runs from about 2 to 278, which shows how little it rests on. They describe it as an association, and rate the evidence as level IV. The study covers the first 30 days only, so it says nothing about how a nose looks or breathes a year later (PubMed).

What patients believe. A 2025 online questionnaire of 402 adults in Saudi Arabia found that more than half believed ENT surgeons are associated with fewer complications, while a majority of those answering preferred plastic surgeons for aesthetic outcomes. Surgeon experience was the factor respondents ranked highest, and 43% said media had influenced their choice (Alzahrani and colleagues, Cureus). These are beliefs, not outcomes, and they point in opposite directions.

No study cited here compares breathing or cosmetic results between the two specialties in a way that would support “ENT surgeons are safer” or “plastic surgeons get better shapes.” Either way, a claim stated as fact without a citation deserves caution.

What do professional bodies say, and who do they speak for?

Each society speaks for its own members, so read its advice with that in mind.

  • ASPS tells patients that the first and most important choice is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is an ASPS member, and warns against “official-sounding” boards, noting that no board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties has “cosmetic surgery” in its name (ASPS). The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) likewise calls plastic surgeons the best choice for cosmetic procedures (ISAPS). Both are plastic surgery societies.
  • The ABFPRS, which certifies surgeons from both backgrounds, takes a different line. It says a surgeon certified by another board may well be qualified, because expertise is reached along several training pathways, and suggests asking the surgeon what the credential means. It also says certified surgeons may not frequently perform every procedure they trained in, and advises asking how often a surgeon does the one you want (ABFPRS).
  • In England, the Royal College of Surgeons advises that the surgeon be on the General Medical Council’s specialist register for the area of practice relevant to your procedure. It also runs a Cosmetic Surgery Board Certification Scheme for surgeons on the General Medical Council’s (or the Irish Medical Council’s) specialist register, with practice areas that include the face, nose, ears and the region around the eyes. The same page says private cosmetic surgeons currently need only to be registered and licensed as doctors, with no legal requirement to be on the specialist register (Royal College of Surgeons; certified surgeons). The page carries no date, so check whether the rule has changed.

Why the label cannot answer your question

Even within one specialty, surgeons narrow their practice. One may do mostly primary cosmetic noses, another mostly complex or revision rhinoplasty, another mostly sinus and septum surgery with some cosmetic work. A claim that one specialty is “less likely to cause breathing problems” or “focuses more on beauty” is a generalization about thousands of different surgeons, and the evidence above does not back it.

What carries over from every source is the same short list: verified training, a record with the procedure you want, and honest communication. A surgeon’s age or gender is not on it; see does your surgeon’s age or gender matter?. Our guide to choosing a rhinoplasty surgeon walks through each point, and a surgeon’s aesthetic taste is part of the fit as well.

Questions that matter more than the title

  • Which specialty did you train in, which board or register covers you, and what is your registration number?
  • Roughly how many rhinoplasties do you perform in a typical year, and what share are revisions?
  • How do you evaluate and plan for breathing as well as appearance, and who handles problems with either?
  • May I see dated, unedited results of noses similar to what I am asking for, and speak with a recent patient?
  • Where will the operation take place, who gives the anesthesia, and what accreditation does the facility hold?
  • What happens if I need a revision, and who pays for it?
  • Is anyone being paid to refer me to you?

A surgeon who answers plainly, in a language you understand, tells you more than a title does. For credentials, compare the answers with the register itself. The influencer-trap guide lists official registers for several countries, and the specialist’s own board or society may offer a lookup: the ABFPRS physician finder, the American Board of Plastic Surgery’s certification check and the Royal College of Surgeons list above. One caution on society directories: the ASPS “Find a Surgeon” page states that ASPS does not independently verify members’ profile information or current licensure and certification status (ASPS), so confirm with the certifying board.

Sources

All pages were opened and checked on 9 October 2026.