Revision rhinoplasty is sometimes necessary but remember – nose job fails can be improved. Revision rhinoplasty healing time is longer than an initial rhinoplasty, and cost is typically discussed during a consultation.
Nose Looks Pinched (also pinched nostrils)
After a rhinoplasty procedure, the nose or nostrils can look pinched, making the nose look long and slender. Not only can this bad nose job look unsightly, but it can also result in difficulty breathing due to a narrow passageway that does not allow enough airflow.
Only about five to ten percent of nose jobs fail. In an experienced and skilled surgeon's hands, though, the chances of an operation going “wrong” with a result very different than you expected .
Wait for Your Rhinoplasty To Heal
For most men and women, it takes around 6 months to 1 year to see the final results. After your nose is fully healed, if you are dissatisfied with your results, you can book a consultation with your plastic surgeon to discuss a revision procedure.
With so many nose jobs performed each year, there are bound to be a certain number that requires revision. The national average for procedures that require rhinoplasty revision is approximately 15%, whereas ours is less than 5%. This means every year about 36,500 patients undergo corrective rhinoplasty.
Although higher than in primary rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty overall has a low rate of complications. Individual surgeon's results may vary widely, however. That's why it is important to find an experienced surgeon with superior surgical judgment and meticulous technique, honed over years of specialized practice.
While revision rhinoplasty can improve mistakes, restore symmetry, reduce scar tissue, restore breathing, and address issues after primary surgery, you should not expect perfection. Patients can anticipate excellent results but should expect a longer recovery after a secondary rhinoplasty.
Revision rhinoplasty is sometimes necessary but remember – nose job fails can be improved. Revision rhinoplasty healing time is longer than an initial rhinoplasty, and cost is typically discussed during a consultation.
An asymmetrical nose tip after rhinoplasty is perfectly normal. Patients should expect and understand that swelling won't be the same on each side of their nose, thus causing the asymmetry. Other factors such as scar tissue formation, taping, sutures, and splints can also cause uneven nostrils.
Permanent crookedness after rhinoplasty may be due to flexible cartilage warping, contracture of healing, asymmetry of bone location, differences in cartilage shape and position, or differences in skin thickness between right and left sides.
Clues to Bad Rhinoplasty
The real clues to a poor result are the asymmetries; malpositions, disproportions and decreased function that are seen. For example, in the image below we can see collapse of the side walls and/or nostrils producing a “pinched look” or asymmetry between the two sides.
Correcting a bulbous nose is one of the most challenging procedures in the already difficult field of rhinoplasty. Refining a bulbous nose requires an experienced surgeon with both artistic sense and technical precision.
If you've been watching your rhinoplasty heal over time and you're still thinking “I don't like my nose”, it's not unheard of. As many as 10-15% of cosmetic nose surgeries result in unhappy clients who will choose to undergo a second procedure to fix it.
Rhinoplasty failure occurs in only 5- to 10 percent of cases. Reasons that patients may consider revision rhinoplasty include: The outcome of the initial procedure does not suit the face. Healing did not occur as expected.
How Much Will My Tip Drop After Rhinoplasty? Your tip should drop between five and ten degrees after rhinoplasty.
The new contour emerges as the nose heals, but right after surgery the skin thickens and swells, particularly if the patient already has thick skin and big pores. It can take a while for the skin to re-blanket the nose and for us to see the definition, especially if we are narrowing the tip.
A few weeks after surgery, many patients are shocked to discover that the skin on their nose, especially around the tip of the nose, feels hard or firm. While not all patients experience this phenomenon, it is a relatively common, but rarely permanent, side effect of rhinoplasty surgery.
This is common in cases where the nasal bridge has been reduced too much (often in response to a dorsal hump), while the tip has not been adjusted, causing the tip to appear over-projected. A sloping bridge can make the problem seem worse.
You can have a revision rhinoplasty twice, three times, four, or even five times, but the complexity of the surgery increases as well as the amount of scar tissue with each additional revision.
Do all rhinoplasty surgeries need to be re-done? No, not all rhinoplasty surgeries need to be re-done. A majority of patients who see a board-certified plastic surgeon well-versed in rhinoplasty surgery will never need a revision rhinoplasty.
While there is no hard rule on how many times a patient can safely undergo rhinoplasty, it is important to note that each subsequent surgery can lead to more scar tissue, which has a significant impact on healing and cosmetic results. Thus a great surgeon knows how to avoid or at least minimize additional scarring.
Generally, it is best to wait at least one year before undergoing revision surgery to give the soft tissue structures of the nose time to heal and settle. After revision surgery, it can take 3-6 months for swelling and bruising to subside and for results to be visible.
Results: Of the 46 patients who responded to the questionnaire, 88% experienced a significant improvement in nasal performance by revision rhinoplasty, and 79% would choose to undergo the revision procedure again.
Unlike other types of cosmetic surgeries, a revision rhinoplasty can take up to a year from which to fully recover. You will be physically healed from the surgery for the most part after two to three weeks.