How Soon After a Rhinoplasty Can Revision Be Done?

In general, most rhinoplasty surgeons prefer to wait for one year before performing a revision rhinoplasty because it can take as long as a year for the swelling to subside and for scar tissue to mature. Often, some problems after rhinoplasty will resolve with time and a revision can be avoided. Other times, waiting a full year may allow for other problems that are not readily apparent in the early healing phase to become visible and all of the problems can be addressed with a single... more

At two weeks postop, you have a significant amount of soft tissue swelling even if you can't feel it. The body resolves swelling on its own time table which is typically 6-8 weeks after surgery. Even when the swelling is gone the underlying scar will take a minimum of 6 months to mature. Repeat surgery too early (less than one year after the first surgery) usually results in excessive scar formation and thicker overlying skin. Any finesse that you were hoping to find will more than... more

Most patients should wait one year before seeking a revision rhinoplasty.  In order for a revision surgeon to properly assess the nose, swelling must be reduced.  At 2 weeks after a rhinoplasty, it is difficult to assess the final result of the nose.

Generally, we advise patients to wait one year before considering revision surgery to address any problems. This is due to the ongoing healing process of the soft tissues and final results can't be determined until that time. If the problem is restricted to the bone (ie persistent deviated nasal bones), then it is reasonable to intervene earlier. For example, if a deviated nasal bone is noted in the early postoperative period, one can attempt to medialize the bones. Within the first... more

Do not have any revisional surgery within the first year of the rhinoplasty to make sure that indeed full healing has taken place. Surgery sooner than that may not be required because of the edema that persists for a long time after the rhinoplasty procedure.

After Rhinoplasty, it takes about 1 year for the the tissues to completely settle and the swelling to completely resolve. It would not be a good idea to undergo a revision before this time.

Hi Taff, You do still have swelling and healing going on in your nose only two weeks after your rhinoplasty. You should wait at least 6 months before having a revision surgery. Certainly your surgeon is the best person to discuss when the best time for revision will be. When you get too impatient, remember these two words....Michael Jackson. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

I know this is not exactly what you would like to hear, and there are some reasons to revise a rhinoplasty procedure sooner. Two reasons to consider an earlier revision are irrgularites of the bridge of the nose seen through the skin, or a tip that somehow became over rotated upward and the now appears too short for your tastes. In the first case it is unlikely that the irregularities will go away over time, and in the latter it can be more difficult to bring the tip down and add length if... more

Technically, you can do a revision at any time, but it is NOT a good idea to do it so soon after surgery. The reason is that rhinoplasty results can be subtle, and can be completely hidden by edema/swelling. Although you think that there is "hardly any swelling", the fact that a rhinoplasty was performed will cause swelling, and it should still be noticeable to your surgeon (who will know what size / shape of nose to expect). Think of it this way: subtle changes were done to... more

There is no way for you to adequately judge the amount of correction of your nose after two weeks. Your idea of subtle improvement may be equal to a significant improvement with swelling on top of it. Don't stress yourself out and enjoy the improvements that you already see!