You may need ear cartilage grafting. Recovery is same as first surgery.

Theda C. Kontis, MD answers: Revision for hanging columnella and upturned nose tip?

I had Rhinoplasty in 1993, and have always been bothered by the tip being too "upturned" and unnatural looking. Also, the columnella is hanging (I hate seeing the inside of my nostrils in profile).

I am now considering a revision. How involved would fixing these two issues be (i.e. grafts, recovery time, etc.)? Thanks!


Theda C. Kontis, MD
22 days ago

The deformities you described can certainly be addressed by having revision surgery. You will need cartilage grafting to de-rotate the nose. Depending on how much cartilage was taken from your septum, you may need ear cartilage used for grafting.  If the surgeon feels that de-rotating the nose does not improve the hanging columella, it can be addressed by removing a small amount of cartilage from the septum, by removing some mucous membrane, by fancy suturing, or a combination of these techniques.

You will most likely need to have your revision surgery performed via the "open" approach, where a small incision is placed on the columella to improve the surgeon's access to the nose.

Recovery should be the same as your first surgery. However, if you have ear cartilage grafting, you will have a bit more discomfort. (Patients seem to complain more about their ear than their noses after this type of surgery!!)

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