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Chances of Keloid Scarring from Rhinoplasty?

asked 2 years ago by britgirl in England
Latest answer by Vincent D. Lepore, MD
Question viewed 2,001 times
Tags: age 18-24, nose, female, keloid scar, scar

I am considering having Rhinoplasty however I am a bit concerned as I have 1 small keloid scar on my ear and I am worried about keloids developing from the Rhinoplasty.

My keloid is about the size of a small pea at the top of my ear, it developed from having my ear re-pierced in the same spot. I have had steroid injections to reduce the size, its the only keloid scar I have. I had acne on my back and no keloids from that. I am a caucasian, 21 year old girl. What are the chances?

22 answers to Chances of Keloid Scarring from Rhinoplasty?

Keloid Scarring after Rhinoplasty

Keloids may occur on the ears. After 30+ years of rhinoplasty surgery, I have never seen a keloid with either the intranasal or external approach (an incision through the columellar skin). Never say never, but I would confidently recommend you proceed with surgery.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Keloid formation after rhinoplasty

In 15 years of practice, we have never seen a keloid from an open rhinoplasty incision that was carefully closed in our practice. That doesn't mean it is impossible, and it is always important to follow up with the surgeon carefully to spot signs of trouble early.

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Risk of keloid after rhinoplasty

I have personally never seen a keloid scar form after a rhinoplasty. I have also never heard of a keloid from an external incision. This should not be a deterrent to surgery.

Ryan Greene, MD, PhD
Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloid formation is rare with closed rhinoplasty

The chance of forming a keloid from a rhinoplasty is nearly impossible from a closed rhinoplasty incision. There is a small chance it could occur from an open rhinoplasty incision when the incision is made across the columella. I would definitely recommend a closed rhinoplasty procedure whereby all the incisions are placed inside the nose. The skin lining on the inside of the nose is different than the ear and is not susceptible to keloid formation, especially in Caucasians.... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Keloid after rhinoplasty

I have never seen a keloid after a rhinoplasty and I do almost all of mine open. I also was at a national meeting with an audience of at least 500 plastic surgeons and the speaker asked all in the audience if anyone had ever seen a keloid in the "central third of the face." Nobody raised their hand.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Slim to zero chance of keloids from Rhinoplasty

Slim to none on the chances of developing this. Because you're caucasian, your scar is likely to be what we call a hypertrophic scar (on your ear). That likely happened as a result of two piercings. I would go for it on the nose if you were my patient. As a patient, you should be fairly reassured with all of the collective experience that everyone has reported. Best Wishes, DoctorMeade

Ricardo A. Meade, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Keloid scars never occur on the nose after rhinoplasty

I know this is a strong statement, however I have never seen one in over 20 years of practice nor heard of a keloid appearing on the nose. The central face seems to be a privileged area. Keloids don't form on the nose and eyelids. One way to avoid any chance of scars is to have a rhinoplasty through the intranasal or closed approach. I prefer this technique for 90% of primary rhinoplasties in my practice.

Steven J. Pearlman, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty and keloid scar

In most cases rhinoplasty can be be performed via incisions inside the nostrils without any external scar. In this case keloid scars would not be an issue.

Vincent D. Lepore, MD
San Jose Plastic Surgeon

Keloid formation from Rhinoplasty unlikely as long as there are no incisions on the sides

Many people may get "earlobe" or ear keloids and don't necessarily get them elsewhere; however, there are some patients that may form thickened heavy scars everywhere they have an incision. No one really knows for sure until after the surgery. I agree keloid formation is unlikely after rhinoplasty and if your doctor feels comfortable with doing a closed rhinoplasty that is probably the least chance of having any problems with keloid scars. It is theoretically possible if you have... more

James F. Boynton, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Keloids Unlikely with Rhinoplasty

It is very unusual to get keloid formation in the middle of the face. Nose being in the middle is considered very safe. However to be extra cautious I would recommend that you find a surgeon that can do a closed approach rhinoplasty that avoids any incisions on the outside of the nose and everything is done from inside the nostrils Regards

Tanveer Janjua, MD
Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloid scarring does not occur after Rhinoplasty Surgery.

The ear is by far the most common location to develop a keloid scar. Certain locations on your body just don't keloid after surgery. I have personally not seen or read about keloid scarring occurring on a columella-incision. I hope this is helpful for you.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.ericmjoseph.com

Keloid scar and nose job (rhinoplasty)

Keloids on the nose particularly with a closed rhinoplasty approach are exceptionally rare and almost reportable. Keloid scarring should not be a concern for you,

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Chances for Keloid?

I have perfomred over 2000 external rhinoplasty procedures in patients of all skin types and have yet to see a keloid develop from the transcolumellar incision. IN fact I think I have revised a total of two scars in the history of my practice in this area.

S. Randolph Waldman, MD
Lexington Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloid scarring from rhinoplasty is uncommon

The risks of having keloids from a rhinoplasty are exceedingly small especially if you have a closed approach where the incisions are internalized. Even if the scars are slightly excessive they should not be visible. However, you also describe acne. If you have thick skin and are acne prone, the nasal surgery could make your acne worse around your nose for a period of time. Also, it might compromise the results if one of your goals is to narrow the tip as excessive acne there can result in... more

Scott Trimas, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloids are rare in rhinoplasty

Although keloids are a hyper active response to healing, I have never seen a keloid in a cosmetic rhinoplasty. Certainly there have been some patients with slightly stiff scars internally, but these have not compromised the final visual result or the ability to breathe well.

Ricardo Izquierdo, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.FaceAndBodyChicago.com

Closed Rhinoplasty if concerns exist over keloid formation

I have never seen personally a keloid on the nose from a cosmetic rhinoplasty, but I imagine it could be possible, although very rare. One option in this particular scenario would be to have the procedure with incisions only inside the nose and not on the skin-- this is called a closed rhinoplasty-- so as to avoid any excessive scar formation from a skin incision.

Shahram Salemy, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.drsalemy.com

Keloid Formation After Rhinoplasty

Keloids form on certain defined anatomic structures such as the sternum (chest), deltoid, ears, and earlobes and form in ethnic groups with greater pigmentation (of African, Asian, Central American descent). This information, in addition to the combined 35 years practice experience of Drs. Moelleken and Pearlman, ought to give reassurance that an open rhinoplasty approach will be safe for you.

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

Keloid Scar from Open Rhinoplasty

Hi, I perform many African American open rhinoplasties and I have never seen a keloid scar in 12 years. If you got one, it would be the first I ever hear of... Best, Dr.S.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Never seen keloid in or on the nose

I have been doing noses for over 35 years, and have never seen a keloid anywhere on the nose. Keloids are more common in Asians first and blacks second. Although caucasians get them, it is uncommon and almost never seen on the mid face.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty and the Risk of Keloid Formation

Hi BritGirl, Keloid formation on the nose from rhinoplasty is extremely rare, in fact I have never seen or heard of one occuring. With internal approach rhinoplasty there are no external incisions on the skin, therefore no chance of keloid formation. With external approach rhinoplasty there is a very small incision across the columella, but, again I have not heard of, or seen a keloid develop here. The one area to be very cautious is the alarplasty incisions, which may form noticeable... more

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Keloid scar does not occur in rhinoplasty

Keloid scar is a genetically programed aggressive healing that occurs in certain individuals. Often the first notice is a large ball of scar after an ear piercing. Keloid scar will grow and extent beyond the area of wounding, hence the large ball of scar after such a trivial injury as an earring. This type of healing occurs on certain areas of the body. Earlobes and jawline, shoulder and back, groin and pubis, areolar, are the common areas. Keloid is not seen on the nose or lip, hence... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

No chance of keloid after rhinoplasty

Britgirl, I'll try to keep it short and to the point :) The chances of having a keloid after rhinoplasty is essentially 0. There may have been a case or two in all the literature, but this should not be a concern for you. Good luck!