Rhinoplasty: Q&A

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Can Sutures in the Nasal Tip Be Reversed or Altered?

I had Rhinoplasty 2 weeks ago to remove my dorsal hump & also have my bulbous tip refined. My nostrils were very visible before surgery and I asked the surgeon not to make them more visible or to make my tip any higher. Now my tip is higher and my nostrils are so much more visible & open than before. My surgeon said he used sutures to change the tip of my nose and I suspect he rotated my tip up using this method too. Can the sutures be changed in 6 months time if need be or is this permenant? :(

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by purple12

Doctor Answers (6)
Community Comments (4)

Give your nose time to heal after a rhinoplasty...

Generally speaking, in my patients, concerns regarding the appearance in the early period after a rhinoplasty are often overblown. Typically as the swelling resides the patient is then satisfied with the final appearance. In those rare cases where it is obvious that something is incorrect, perhaps due to suture breakage or an early scar contracture, an early intervention (reoperation) can be considered. Most of the time any revisions should wait until at least a year or even two have gone by... more

Tip Modification with Sutures During Rhinoplasty

Sutures are frequently used to change the width, position, and contour of the tip.You are fortunate that sutures were used rather than modifying the tip with the removal of extensive amounts of cartilage. The stitches can be removed or repositioned with a tip revision, but I strongly recommend that you wait 6-12 months to make any changes.

Richard W. Fleming, MD

9 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Sutures in nasal tip

Sutures in the nasal tip are used to create refinement of the tip usually. Initially post-op the tip can look a bit over done. Give it time to settle and for the swelling to dissipate.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

When to revise

The buzzword for revisions is 6 months to a year. Recently many expert revision surgeons ar doing simple revisions in 3 months or less.

Sutured nasal tip reversal.

Sutured nasal tip reversal can be done but you should wait at least 6-12 months as the nose will change in that time.

Toby Mayer, MD

7 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Tip rhinoplasty can be revised.

Hi. Do not do anything for six months. Things may very well settle down. But if eventually you need a revision, it can be done.

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Comments (4)

Leyla Poorichista 27 Jul 2012

Did you ever have the surtured removed? I'm currently facing a similar predicament.

purple12 7 Oct 2012

Hi Leyla, sorry to take so long to reply but have only just recently logged back onto the site since posting my question. My nostril shape has changed a bit now since the swelling started to go down and they have rotated down a bit so they look much better than they did. I am now 6 months post op and they are still higher than what they were before my op but gradually looking better. I think the tip of my nose is still a bit swollen so am hoping they will drop a bit more. How does your nose look now? Has it improved since you posted your question?

purple12 7 Oct 2012

Sorry I forgot to say that I didn't have the sutures removed. My surgeon advised me to wait for the swelling to go down.

Leyla Poorichista 7 Oct 2012

Hi thanks for writing back. I'm 3 months post op and my nose tip has come down from being crazy high but since I never wanted it turned up in the first place, I'm still not happy. I'm seriously considering having the sutures removed at 6 months but obviously really nervous about it. Please do keep me posted about your progress.. And I hope things continue to get better for you! All the best!

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