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Post Rhinoplasty - Can Skin Stay Puffy in Areas Where a Large Reduction was Made?

asked 1 year ago by Spokane in Spokane,WA
Latest answer by Oakley Smith, MD
Question viewed 415 times
Tags: bridge, 7 months post-op, full, hump, puffiness

I am 7 months post op, and i still have a slight hump on the left (my left) side of the bridge. However, when i push the skin down with my fingers on both sides of the bridge near the cheeks, i can see the bump go away. This is right where i used to have a large bump. Can the skin stay full in the areas where large reduction was done, and eventually sit down snug on the new structure?

12 answers to Post Rhinoplasty - Can Skin Stay Puffy in Areas Where a Large Reduction was Made?

Soft Swelling in Area of large Hump Removal 7 Months Post-op

It can take up to 1 year for the skin to properly drape over the bridge when a large hump was removed. If there is some residual bony fullness this can usually be reduced with a minor procedure.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Your Nose Continues to Change For a Year-and-a-Half After Surgery

The bump may well go away over time. It's common to see swelling persist for many months after surgery. Stay in touch with your surgeon about your concerns: it's part of his/her job to be there for you as you heal, and he/she'll be glad you are staying in touch.

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

Continued puffiness after a large reduction rhinoplasty.

The greater the degree of nasal reduction and the thicker the overlying skin, the more likely the puffiness remains. The soft tissue envelope (skin and underlying fatty tissue) has difficulty redraping in these situations. However at 7 months there is still hope although its fading as most of the swelling has resolved by now. You could give it several more months or see a surgeon about the possibility of a course of steroid injections.

Oakley Smith, MD
Toronto Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.droakleysmithrhinoplasty.com

Post hump skin puffiness after rhinoplasty

In my experience, in areas where a large reduction is made it can take quite a while for the skin to redrape or shrink wrap around the smaller nasal framework. Although you'll often hear that this will take a year I find that it can actually improve even further for even a few years (4-5 years in some cases) after surgery. People with thicker skin take a longer time, in general, to do this redraping. Also, people in their 20s or 30s taken less long than someone in their 40s or 50s... more

Thomas A Lamperti, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Bump after rhinoplasty

Dear Spokane, If the bump goes away, this is a good sign. See your plastic surgeon, a small amount of dilute steroid may help bring the swelling down more and/or reduce scar tissue if it is present. It is important to differentiate between bone, cartilage, scar, and swelling. Your plastic surgeon can do that for you. Don't worry about bothering him/her, I am sure they want you to be happy, so just bring it up and see what they say. Best, Nima Shemirani more

Nima Shemirani, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Post-Rhinoplasty Swelling

Hi Spokane, Best to discuss your concerns with your rhinoplasty surgeon. It can take up to a year, sometimes longer for small irregularites to resolve after rhinoplasty. Especially if it feels soft, I would give it a little more time before lying down on the operating table again. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Post Rhinoplasty - Can Skin Stay Puffy in Areas Where a Large Reduction was Made?

Although swelling can account for many imperfections following rhinoplasty (for up to a year or more), this could very well be a residual or new bump secondary to the healing process that would best be evaluated by your surgeon.

Ryan Stanton, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Post Rhinoplasty - Can Skin Stay Puffy in Areas Where a Large Reduction was Made?

Can take longer than 7 months for the swelling to go away but dorsal cartilage at the junction between bone and cartilage can pop up as well as regrowth of nasal dorsal bone could cause this problem. If it is cartilage, it moves on pressure. See your surgeon to figure out the problem.

Mohsen Tavoussi, MD, DO
Huntington Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon

Bump after rhinoplasty

It is possible to have some swelling up to a year after rhinoplasty. It may be useful to visit your surgeon to evaluate whether you would benefit from steroid injections. Also taping over the part that you can can compress may also help.

Kristin Egan, MD
Manhattan Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon

Bump after Rhinoplasty

Hi, After 7 months its a little unusual to have this sort of swelling. This probably not due to swelling but under-reduced cartilage or bone. You may need a minor revision to correct this. Best.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Nasal changes

If the bump is gone when you stretch out the skin or push down on it, more than likely this is swelling or soft tissue issues. Give it more time. It may take a year or more.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Skin Shrinking Post-Rhinoplasty

The skin can and does shrink after a large dorsal hump is removed during a Rhinoplasty. I have removed over an inch from some very large noses and the skin always shrinks around the smaller nasal skeleton but it may take up to a year to do so. From what you are describing, this would seem to be residual swelling within the tissues. I have all of my Rhinoplasty patients do manual massage beginning at 1 month post Rhinoplasty to remove the swelling. Contact the plastic... more