Can Nose Tip Move to One Side After Rhinoplasty?

asked 3 years ago by jeniffer in Yerevan, Armenia
Latest answer by Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Question viewed 6,468 times
Tags: nose

I am on 3,5 month after rhinoplasty (with straightening of nasal septum). Lately, the tip (started apx. from center of the nose) visibly moved to one side. Since sweelling still remains, I'm hopining that it's just asymmetrical come downs of it. Is there any possibility that it's a complication, and how often such things are observed in practice? I am going to visit the sergeon, but for some reasons your opinion is very important to me! Thank you very much in advnce.

11 answers to Can Nose Tip Move to One Side After Rhinoplasty?

Nasal tip deviation can happen

This can certainly happen after surgery, and it may be due to a number of factors, including swelling, the surgical technique, or even how you healed after surgery. My advice would be to see how it looks after all of the swelling has resolved, and this may take a year or more. If you need to have a revision surgery, it can be done, but you need to wait a minimum of a year after your procedure before considering having any more surgery.

Shahram Salemy, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.drsalemy.com

Nasal Tip Crooked After Rhinoplasty

Hi Jen, Without examining your nose, seeing photographs, and knowing what your surgeon did to the tip of your nose, it is very difficult to answer your question accurately. You should revisit your surgeon for examination and explanation. You need to wait at least 6 to 12 months before having a revision surgery. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Some Shifting is Possible

It is possible to see some shifting of the tip of the nose during the healing after Rhinoplasty. It is also important to allow swelling to go down and enough healing to occur before considering any revisions. Depending upon the surgery techniques and the amount of swelling, your surgeon can best determine if it is best to wait or do something in the near future.

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

Patience is still a virtue

Three months after a rhinoplasty is very early to critically evaluate your results regardless of the cause of your tip deviation. As you yourself mentioned, it may be differential swelling causing the appearance. At any rate, you really need to wait a full year for all of the scarring and swelling to subside before a revisionary procedure can be done.

Kenneth R. Francis, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Nasal tip deviation may be related to the septal deviation

The nasal tip can indeed move slowly after surgery, especially if a very deviated septum is fixed at the same time. Even with the attempts made to straighten the midline septal cartilage of the nose, sometimes the bone that the caudal (or lower) part of the septum sits in remains crooked or the cartilage itself can shift. This area,called the anterior nasal spine needs to be straightened along with the caudal septum during septoplasty. There are other things that can lead to the tip looking... more

Jennifer Walden, MD
Austin Plastic Surgeon

Swelling or scar contracture can cause this

It is too early to tell whether this is due to swelling or scar contracture to one side. Time will tell, but sometimes as the nose heals scarring can cause the nasal tip to go to one side or the other. Your doctor should be able to evaluate this at 1 year.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Moving the nose tip is possible

Being that you are in the early postop phase, it would be difficult to tell if the asymmetry was from swelling or created anatomically at the time of surgery. For any asymmetries related to swelling I usually recommend a regimen of taping. If you are less than 4 weeks postop, asymmetries related to bone position may be able to be gently changed. You will have to see after one year what your nose looks like. Small, fixed deviations can be camouflaged with injectible filler if necessary... more

Manish H. Shah, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

It is rare but possible

It is possible for a nose tip to move to one side after rhinoplasty. It may happen if the surgeon performed unbalanced reshaping on right vs left side or less commonly due to scarring. A patient need to make sure that the surgeon performs rhinoplasty frequently and see his good and bad before and after pictures.

Vladimir Grigoryants, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Swelling changes after Rhinoplasty

Hi Jen- Without seeing your before and after photos and not knowing exactly what procedure and techniques were used during your rhinoplasty, it is difficult to give you objective information about your particular recovery. However, I would recommend seeing your surgeon to have him/her re-evaluate your recovery. Theoretically, the tiny sculpturing sutures that are placed in the small cartilages at the tip of the nose can loosen or even break on one side causing asymmetry...but typically it more

John Philip Connors III, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Nasal tip re-correction depends on prior Rhinoplasty

The key element of this discussion depends on the type of surgery you had performed during your rhinoplasty. There are many dedicated and expert rhinoplasty surgeons in Armenia and the type of surgery performed will determine the most common reasons for your postoperative nasal tip deviation. If you had septal reset or a significantly deviated septum preoperatively, you may have experienced a condition known as septal memory or septal rebound, where the deviated septum resumes its... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Shifting & migration of the nasal tip & bridge can occur during the healing phase

There is occasionally some shifting and migration of the nasal tip and bridge during the healing phase. There is also asymmetrical swelling in almost every cosmetic rhinoplasty that is performed, and full evaluation of the nose is best done at one year after the original surgery. There is very little movement that can or will occur after one year, and at that point if there are still asymmetries of the nose, those can be addressed with a revision rhinoplasty at that point one year postop.... more