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Will Columella Fullness Subside with Time?
asked 1 year ago by teresa2 in kansas city
Latest answer by Brent Moelleken, MD
Question viewed 694 times
Tags: columella, full
I had an open Rhinoplasty about 5 months ago. The overall look of my nose is okay except for the tip/columella area. I think my columella looks too wide and my tip a little round. My doctor refined my tip with sutures and added a graft for support in my columella. Is this attributing to my columella looking wider/fuller than before, and will it subside and shrink with time? I'm hoping my nose will soften up and get smaller in size. Any feedback or advice would be lovely.
16 answers to Will Columella Fullness Subside with Time?
+3
Columellar Fullness
Swelling may last longer after an open rhinoplasty with placement of a columellar graft. You understand the graft was placed to increase or maintain tip projection. It will be worth the wait. If your not satisfied with the with of the columella after healing is complete, revision is a relatively minor procedure under local anesthesia.
+2
Tip or columella fullness after open rhinoplasty
It is usually best to wait between six months and a year before contemplating any revisions.
Revisions in this area are usually straightforward.
Patients must always be realistic, particularly with tip fullness and the overall size of the nose. Noses that were once very large will not usually look good if they are made excessively small.
+2
Columellar thickening
It's a bit early to discern swelling from the final result at this point but you may be needing that to be looked at. Revisions aren't done until a full year afterwards typically.
The incidence is about 6%. Be patient, the need for a revision will be determined by your level of dissatisfaction as well as the result.
+2
Will Columella Fullness Subside with Time?
Teresa:
The tip will most likely come down with time as the swelling continues to improve. As for the width of the columella, it will depend on how wide the graft is. At 5 months you still have some time to go before your final results are evident.
Michel Siegel, MD
Houston, TX
+2
Will columella fullness subside with time?
The fullness you are experiencing should improve with time. The tip/columella is the last area for the post-operative tissue swelling to resolve. It can take up to about a year to see the swelling return to normal.
Check with your surgeon to check to make sure everything is healing as anticipated otherwise.
+2
Columellar fullness after a strut graft
The columellar strut graft is a strip of cartilage placed into the tip to help push the tip up and control and improve tip projection and rotation. The graft will widen the columella, and can produce unnatural stiffness though for most the tip will soften, the columella will thin a bit, and the result balance out over time. Overall the grafts work out well when needed so give it time.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd
Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2
Columella fullness after open rhinoplasty
Post operative swelling and stiffness for a rhinoplasty may take 6-12 months to resolve (or more). Since the nose is vertical on your face, the tip and columella will "collect" all the swelling for a longer time than at the top of your nose. The open approach to rhinoplasty severs the lymphatics of the columella and the lower part of the nose, sometimes causing a more prolonged swelling in this area. As these lymphatic connections "re-connect", you will...
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+1
Rhinoplasty Post-Op
It is not uncommon to have swelling of the nose for up to twelve months following this type of surgery. It is important to have patience and continue to follow up with your surgeon.
Michael Sullivan, MD
Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon
Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
A Columellar Strut May Increase The Width Of The Columella After Rhinoplasty
Fullness in the columella after rhinoplasty at 6 months after surgery can be a contributing factor. A columellar strut is placed between the medial footplates which make up some of the columellar width. This can increase its width by 1 or 2mms dependent upon the width of the graft. That combined with persistent swelling will definitely make the columella appear slightly wider. Despite the widespread use of columellar struts, increased columellar width is not reported as being a...
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+1
Columella fullness after rhinoplasty
5 months after rhinoplasty the swelling of the columella should have subsided almost completely. Tip graft, columella graft may contribute to the residual swelling and may not resolve. Correction is possible but you should carefully consider this.
+1
Rhinoplasty - columella thick
It's hard to know how much thinner your columella will get - it depends on how thick a piece of cartilage your surgeon used. However, I'd wait until about a year after your surgery before proceeding with revision surgery. I'd continue to see your surgeon, have him document changes with photos, and if you are still unhappy after a year, I'm sure he/she would be happy to revise it for you.
Dr. Cat Begovic M.D.
Catherine Huang-Begovic, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Columella and width
Sometimes a columella strut can contribute to the columella width and certainly swelling can as well.
+1
Tip swelling after open rhinoplasty
There are many causes of tip and columella fullness which include anatomic causes which should have been corrected by surgical maneuvers or you may just have postoperative swelling. Following open rhinoplasty, I advise patients that they can expect up to one year of swelling. Swelling will gradually decrease. I encourage patients to avoid salt in order to minimize swelling over this year.
Arian Mowlavi, MD
Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon
Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon
+1
Will Columella Fullness Subside with Time?
This is one of the draw backs to "open rhinoplasty". The extended swelling in the columella, up to a year or more. Be patient, from MIAMI DR. Darryl J. Blinski
+1
Columellar strut and tip swelling.
Columellar strut and tip swelling is frequently seen and may take 1 year to resolve. If at that time it is still present your surgeon can do a minor procedure to improve this.
+1
Rhinoplasty healing
Dear Teresa
The softness that you are waiting for in the tip of the nose comes slowly after tip grafting.
Since you see and touch your nose everyday, it can be difficult to notice the changes as they happen
(like seeing how much your nephew/niece has grown after not seeing him/her in a year)
Keep in contact with your surgeon and plan to wait for the full year before discussing the specific areas that concern you
Best Wishes
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