Rhinoplasty (Greek: Rhinos, "Nose" + Plassein, "to shape") is a surgical procedure which is usually performed by either an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, maxillofacial surgeon, or plastic surgeon in order to improve the function (reconstructive surgery) or the appearance (cosmetic surgery) of a human nose.

Rhinoplasty is commonly called a nose job. Rhinoplasty can be performed to meet aesthetic goals or for reconstructive purposes to correct trauma, birth defects or breathing problems. Rhinoplasty can be combined with other surgical procedures such as chin augmentation to enhance the aesthetic results.

Reconstructive nose surgery was first developed by Sushruta, an important Ayurvedic physician in ancient India, who is often regarded as the "father of plastic surgery."[citation needed] Sushruta first described nasal reconstruction in his text Sushruta Samhita circa 500 BC. He and his later students and disciples used rhinoplasty to reconstruct noses that were amputated as a punishment for crimes. The techniques of forehead flap rhinoplasty he developed are practiced almost unchanged to this day. This knowledge of plastic surgery existed in India up to the late 18th century as can be seen from the reports published in Gentleman's Magazine (October, 1794).

The precursors to the modern rhinoplasty surgeons include Johann Dieffenbach (1792-1847) and Jacques Joseph (1865-1934), who used external incisions for nose reduction surgery. John Orlando Roe (1848-1915) is credited with performing the first intranasal rhinoplasty in the U.S. in 1887.

Prior to the 1970s, all rhinoplasty surgeries were performed via the intranasal approach, which is often called closed rhinoplasty. However, in 1973, Dr. Wilfred S. Goodman published an article entitled "External Approach to Rhinoplasty"[1] which helped initiate a shift in rhinoplasty techniques to what has become known as the open rhinoplasty. The open rhinoplasty technique was further refined and popularized by Dr. Jack Anderson in his article “Open rhinoplasty: an assessment”. The open approach to rhinoplasty gained in popularity during that time, but it was used mainly for first-time rhinoplasty surgery and not for revision rhinoplasty.