How Many Rhinoplasties Can One Patient Undergo?

asked 9 months ago by Billy23 in California
Latest answer by Paul S. Nassif, MD
Question viewed 344 times
Tags: multiple, quantity

12 answers to How Many Rhinoplasties Can One Patient Undergo?

Rhinoplasty Limits

That's tough to answer I've made revisions to other surgeons' rhinoplasty work when it was the third or fourth surgery. However, these were somewhat limited or small changes and you have to understand that with each rhinoplasty procedure there is more scar tissue and things become a little less predictable as far as outcome is concerned. Two is fine. A third procedure can be done but you want to be focused on your goal and have reasonable expectations. ... more

Chase Lay, MD
Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Multiple Rhinoplasty Surgeries

Hello, There is no predetermined amount of surgeries that an individual can have performed. It is best to have the surgery performed correctly the first time to reduce the chances of a revision being necessary. Each subsequent procedure becomes more difficult due to scar tissue, three-dimensional healing, and shrink wrappage of the skin. Even when the surgery is performed correctly, every patient heals differently. As a result, they may or may not require a small revision down the... more

Paul S. Nassif, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Revision Rhinoplasty

The most important question I would have in this situation is "why do you ask?". Patients that have realistic expectations and a good outcome for surgery generally only need one surgery. Although, with age the nose may change and a revision surgery may then be contemplated. Secondly, a patient may have had realistic expectations but not such a great outcome. In this case it is important to understand what went wrong and either change surgeons or the surgical approach. Lastly,... more

Gary Motykie, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Revision rhinoplasty numbers

There is no absolute number to how many times a revision rhinoplasty can be performed. The limiting factors typically relate to your skin type, scarring and available cartilage and bone underneath. Minor revisions are not uncommon. However, major revisions can result in more scar tissue and less than optimum results especially with repeated surgeries. It is also important to wait at least a year from the previous surgery to allow the tissues to normalize before they are traumatized again.... more

Scott Trimas, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

How Many Rhinoplasties Can One Patient Undergo?

I have performed Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty for well over 20 years and have been the tenth surgeon to do a revision Rhinoplasty on a model from Paris who had the prior surgeries elsewhere. Each and every patient will be different based on what was done during the previous Rhinoplasties and the condition of the skin, cartilage, blood supply and internal scar tissues. I will tell you that, IMHO, revision Rhinoplasty is a quantum level more technically challenging than... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Revision Rhinoplasty

You raise a good question. Revision rhinoplasty is more complicated than an initial operation. There is no official hard and fast rule as to a maximum number of times one can undergo rhinoplasty. However, it is well accepted that each subsequent rhinoplasty entails a greater degree of uncertainty, longer duration of swelling, and unpredictable healing among other issues. If you are considering seeking evaluation for revision rhinoplasty, find a board-certified specialist (Facial Plastic... more

James M. Pearson, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

How Many Rhinoplasties Can A Patient Have?

Although 2/3rds of the rhinoplasties I do are revisions of work that was done before the patient was seen in our office, there is no absolute number of procedures that can be done on a nose. It depends on what was done during the previous surgeries and the physical findings present when considering another operation.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasties

Ideally, you should only have to do this once. A second procedur is not that uncommon. So, there is no true limit but, the risk reward ratio goes down with multiple procedures

David A. Bray, Sr., MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Do it once and right

When it comes to surgery, and a genera rule, one visit to the OR should be the rule. Therefore, choosing the right surgeon is important. Occasionally a second procedure is required when it comes to rhinoplasty.

Moneer Jaibaji, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Is there a limitation on the number of rhinoplasties?

Ideally, getting the desirable result the first time is the goal but this doesn't work out for a variety of reasons in a certain percentage of patients. A second procedure can also be somewhat predictable and generally, not too complex provided there is not the need to perform extensive surgery. The yield on further procedures is much lower, affected by scarring, blood supply concerns, thin skin and other issues. There are patients, however, who have had 4 or more procedures on their nose. more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty number

Repeated rhinoplasty surgery often is frought with major complications. The skin envelope usually thins out and makes for difficutl redraping and sometimes "shrink wrapping." The framework structures may also become weak.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

How many rhinoplasties can a person have?

While there is no theoretical limit on how many rhinoplasties a person may undergo, please be aware that the operation generally will become more difficult and the outcome more in question with repeated operations. Each operation causes additional scar tissue to form and can make the operation quite challenging. I usually insist that a patient wait at least one year between operations to make sure that the result and healing are stable.