Smile Permanently Affected After Rhinoplasty??

In my rhinoplasty 20 months ago, cartilage from my ear was added to the tip of my nose. My septum is hard when i touch it and my upper lip doesn't go all the way. When i smiled before the surgery my upper front teeth were revealed 100%, a month after-50%, and now 85% hasn't changed the last year. what can i do to make this piece of cartilage get a more soft texture and the lip to be "allowed" up again? My doctor is not willing to do anything about it, he is not a part of any future solution

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smile 2 years post-op

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by John79 in bratislava

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Improvement Will Continue to Occur

I am certain that the support cartilage of the nose ie the portion taken from your ear is responsible for the change in lip elevation when smiling. My experience is that the smile almost always returns to a pre-operative state, but it may take two years or more.

Smile change

If you started out with a droopy under projected tip which pointed down on smiling it's likely your doctor used a strong fixation technique to be certain the tip would not lose its projection and again droop when you smile. These techniques yield great results but will have a tradeoff of a more rigid less pliable tip for a long time. If you have achieved the tip position you wanted then be patient. It's likely that it will eventually be more pliable and you will see more smile but it... more

Michael L. Schwartz, MD

3 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.palmbeachface.com

Rhinoplasty is about balance.

I can certainly appreciate your concern about the stiffness of your nose and the change to your smile. Although it is impossible for me to make suggestions without examining you or seeing photos, I suspect the changes you describe may be permanent. Cartilage grafts to the nasal tip can result in greater stiffness to the nose. Additionally, modifications of the nasal base and septum can result in changes to your smile. As a surgeon one strives to strike a balance... more

Change in Tip Softness and Smile after Rhinoplasty

The softness if your tip may never return after placement of cartilage grafts to improve your appearance. Unless something else was done to the base of your nose, your smile should return to normal.

Richard W. Fleming, MD

9 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Smile affected by Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty can effect the smile, especially if the tissues at the base and just in front of the columella were dissected during the Rhinoplasty. This can cause some weakness to the upper lip. Stiffness, in the columella would be a very minor contributing factor at 20 months post Rhinoplasty, IMHO. I am not sure that's there's a quick, easy or reasonable solution. Is it possible for you to exercise (raise the upper lip in an exaggerated manner) the upper lip... more

Smile has changed after rhinoplasty

It is possible that the tip of the nose will stiffen, and the smile be affected by rhinoplasty. Your tip must have needed an incredible amount of support to maintain the shape if ear cartilage grafting was required. After two years it is unlikely that things will change much. If you really like your nose and the airway is good you should leave it alone. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Reduced smile after rhinoplasty

Stiffness in the tip is common. Tip grafts are newhere as popular as they ten years ago. You might try smiling exercises. I have neveer had this problem from tip work alone unless something was done to the nasal base. If this procedue was done open, scr tissue might be a problem.