How a nose job is performed: Animation graphic shows the full procedure in all its gory glory

In 2016, more than 200,000 Americans got a nose job.

The procedure, a rhinoplasty, can be performed in many ways - from shaving down the skin to breaking the bones.

One of the most common approaches involves the dorsal hump, lowering the 'bridge' of the nose and lifting up the 'tip'.

And this animation graphic offers an insight into how it is done.

Not all nasal bridge humps are equal.

The bridge comprises one third bone, at the top, and two thirds cartilage, at the bottom.

Some people with a 'hump' have more bone than others, causing it to protrude higher up. Others may have excess cartilage pushing out lower down. Many have a combination of factors. 

This animation graphic shows removal of cartilage, not bone.

First, the patient is put under general anesthetic.

The surgeon makes an incision inside the nostrils and under the nasal tip to lift up the skin from the hump.

They slice a section of the upper cartilage and the dorsal septum, the cartilaginous dividing line in the middle of the nose.

Here, they also shave off part of the columella, a fleshy protruding piece of tissue which sits on top of the dorsal septum.

To round off this section, they make incisions in the surrounding skin.

Then they move down to slice a section of the lower cartilage, with incisions around it.

These skin flaps are then pulled together over the now missing pieces of cartilage.

The nose skin is pulled down, and stitches are sewn over the incision spots.

The entire procedure, sped up in this video, usually takes about one to two hours.

It takes about seven to nine months for the initial swelling to go down.

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