Rhinoplasty: Stories

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Nose Tip Refinement (Age 40)

4weeks
updated 3 years ago

Not Sure
Cost: $10,000
New York City, NY

I had a rhinoplasty procedure 4 weeks ago to...

29 Sep 2009

I had a rhinoplasty procedure 4 weeks ago to basically refine or "tweak" my nose. The bone wasn't "broken" but there was filing on the sides and front and work done to refine the tip. I went to a well-known and respected Manhattan surgeon.

My nose is still extremely swollen and I do not see any improvement since the bandages were removed. My doctor is not outwardly concerned and says that the swelling will eventually go down. I have tried to make appointments with other doctors, but they will not see me until at least 6 months post op.

I am concerned that there is a problem with the healing process, that I might require shots to bring down the swelling and/or that there is an abnormal issue with scar tissue. My nose is significantly larger than before.

I had a decent nose before. However, I am 40 years old and as I've gotten a little older, I noticed the nose tip became more rounded and less defined. I wanted a "tweak" to minimally refine the nose. I am now left with an undefined "blob" of a nose (for lack of a better description) 4 weeks post-op.

At what point do I become legitimately worried and seek to take a more proactive approach?

Great review?

Comments (4)

Richard W. Westreich, MD 28 Oct 2009

Just came across your post and thought I could lend some support. 4 weeks is very early for tip definition, especially if the work was subtle in nature. That being said, if you have medium to thick skin, then a steroid injection can help. I usually wait at least 6-8 weeks before giving this treatment. Good luck

View answers from Richard W. Westreich, MD

Sharon at RealSelf (Community Manager) 2 Oct 2009

From what I've heard, most doctors say it takes between 12-18 months to see the final result from rhinoplasty. If your nose is still swollen, it sounds like there's still a lot of healing to be done. IMHO, you should "start worrying" around the 6 month mark - easy for me to say. :-/

Here are some related Doctor Q&A pages that might help: Rhinoplasty swelling