Rhinoplasty surgery - why does my skin thickness matter?

How does the thickness of my skin affect the results of my rhinoplasty surgery?

4 answers to “Rhinoplasty surgery - why does my...”

A: Rhinoplasty and Skin thickness

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD

Hi, Yes, skin thickness is a big factor in rhinoplasty outcomes. Typically, Caucasians have thinner skin so anything done underneath the skin will show. Rhinoplasty for patients with thicker skin, found in African Americans and Hispanics, is more challanging because the skin needs to be thinned for any... more

A: Skin Thickness and Rhinoplasty Results

C. Spencer Cochran, MD

The type and thickness of a patient's skin can have a big impact on the rhinoplasty results. For thick-skinned patients, the postoperative swelling can be more pronounced and can persist longer.  Additionally, with very thick skin, the tip may not be as refined appearing. Thin-skinned patients run... more

A: Noses with thicker skin are more difficult to refine at...

William Portuese, MD

Noses with thicker skin are more difficult to refine at the tip and have a tendency to retain fluid.  This complication is especially common with African-American noses and Hispanic noses.  These patients require cortisone shots in the postoperative phase to ensure a pollybeak deformity does not... more

A: Rhinoplasty results vary significantly depending on skin thickness

Jason Litner, MD

Skin quality and thickness is one of the most important factors in determining your final Rhinoplasty result. And it can also be one of the hardest to predict. When we perform Rhinoplasty, most of what we do involves altering the cartilage and bone that makes up the nasal skeleton. We shape the cartilage and... more

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