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How Safe and Effective is It to Cut the Depressor Septi Muscle?

asked 1 year ago by New York8764 in New York
Latest answer by Richard W. Fleming, MD
Question viewed 585 times
Tags: nose tip, droopy, depressor septi muscle, safety

My nose tip tends to droop with facial animation. I have heard that cutting the depressor septi muscle can help alleviate this problem. However, I am wondering how safe, easy, and effective this procedure is compared to other rhinoplasty procedures (e.g., a full rhinoplasty). Is this a procedure that most experienced nose surgeons should be able to complete? Thank you for your insightful answers.

4 answers to How Safe and Effective is It to Cut the Depressor Septi Muscle?

+2

Simulate cutting the depressor septi nasi

Dear New York This Rhinoplasty technique can be effective,but the muscle fibers can reattach and not be completely effective.  To see if you would like how it looks : You can ask your surgeon to inject a small amount of local anesthesia (lidocaine) into the muscle. This lasts only an hour or so. If you liked that, you could have Botox placed (lasting 3 months or so) If you wanted more permanent changes, then rhinoplasty would... more
Travis T. Tollefson, MD, MPH

Sacramento Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drtravistollefson.com

+2

Cutting depressor muscles in rhinoplasty works.

Hi. It is unusual for the downward moving tip to be an isolated problem. So typically detaching the depressors is done as part of a rhinoplasty. But it can certainly be done by itself. Several muscle fibers need to be detached, spreading from one nostril to the other. Then we insert a spacer so that the muscles don't reattach. see video
George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Cutting Depressor Septi Nasi Muscle

It si safe and very easy to cut the depressor septi muscle to decrease nasal tip droopng when smiling. This can be done as an isolated procedure or  as part of a rhinoplasty procedure. It is an effective technique, but some motion may return if the muscle reattaches.
Richard W. Fleming, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Cutting the depressor nasii septii muscle for drooping nasal/nose tip with smiling: try botox prior to surgery

Cutting the depressor nasi septi muscle can be an effective method of minimizing downward turning of the nasal  tip with smiling. However, piror to proceeding with this you could try Botox.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

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