Problems After Revision Rhinoplasty with Ear Cartilage Graft - Europe

Marilu25
Not Worth It
Cost: $4,500
Denmark

Hello everybody.Some years ago I had a...

21 Feb 2012

Hello everybody.Some years ago I had a rhinoplasty,but this rhinoplasty left me with an over-resected and crooked nose and a pinched tip.It took some years before I decided to have a revision rhinoplasty,because I was so afraid of the results.Finally I found a doctor and had the revision 8 months ago.This doctor used ear cartilage graft to fix my nose. Well,now,8 months after ,the tip of the nose looks better (it is not pinched anymore),but the nose has this deviation as before(the nose is crooked as before,although the doctor placed cartilage grafts on the sides of the nose). But,there are some issues that bother me. For the first,I have twinges and slight pain where the grafts were placed.I wonder when all these problems will go away? My doctor says that this is normal !!! ?? And second,my ear is very soft,it hurts a little bit and the scar on the front side of the ear is VERY visible and I have to cover it with my hair all the time.I am so afraid that my ear will collapse after years as I age and the cartilages become weaker. I would like to hear experiences from other people who had a revision rhinoplasty with ear cartilage graft and if you had the same problems.

I am very depressed of this situation.I can't even...

19 Mar 2012

I am very depressed of this situation.I can't even function normally anymore.

2 rhinoplasties : A total waste of money and an emotional devastation.

I had not these troubles after my first rhinoplasty (no pain etc) but the cosmetic outcome was very ugly.I tried to fix that with my revision .But it was not worth it.
Now I have so much pain that I have to remove the cartilage graft that was placed in my nose during the revision rhinoplasty.The nose is still crooked and as the time goes,the outcome becomes more and more ugly.Not to mention that I have problems in my ear from which the cartilage graft was taken(visible scar, pain etc).I need additional surgery to fix my ear, my ears are so uneven now (I think the surgeon removed too much cartilage from the ear).....I am devastated....

I have uploaded some photos (maybe I will remove...

30 Mar 2012

I have uploaded some photos (maybe I will remove them after a while) so you can get an idea of what I am talking about,

First picture :the ear from which the graft was harvested.You can see the scar (which is much more visible in reality and in the daylight) and a somehow flattened conchal bowl.

Second picture:the other ear .Note the much deeper conchal bowl.

Third picture: my nose after revision.You can see many asymmetries and that it is crooked.

I removed the photos.

1 Apr 2012

I removed the photos.

Comments (22)

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ahquestion123
April 11, 2014

Ahh I am 9 months post op-third revision-I still look crazy!! I used to be very attractive and now people stare at me in the most disturbed way. This is so frustrating and I understand how everyone feels. Good luck to all

coal72058
December 14, 2012

-:- Message from RealSelf staff -:-

This comment does not follow our Community Guidelines and/or Terms of Service. We reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Angiemcc (Community Manager)
December 17, 2012

Hi there Coal,

Your review has just been published (with a few edits). I sent you a PM as well.

coal72058
December 17, 2012

I am not sure I understand what happen to the rest of the Review that I took the time to write about how people should stay away from Dr. Gentile. I understand you did not like the Title name i gave it, but where is the rest of the Events that took place to validate why i shamed him and gave Dr. Gentile only one star. Also others have put the email address on the review so why did you take mine off. I want to know where is the rest of my review and why did I bother sharing my story. ?

AA peace
November 17, 2012

Dear girls, I wish so much that your problems get resolved. I read your situations and I really feel for you. May you find strong inner energy to deal with this and heal your outer and inner wounds. All the best

misslila2
October 14, 2012

Dear Marilu and Mila35, I'm on the same boat as you both. 2 surgeries and a very ugly nose that doesn't match my facial features. I'm from Spain and I'm researching for a revision specialist in the US or in Europe... but, all of them, even the top surgeons, have very unhappy patients. If you want to contact me and exchange information, you can e-mail me at misslila2@gmail.com Keep strong!

Mia35
October 8, 2012

Hi Marilu, Are you really from Denmark? (as in the country Denmark) I am in the same painful situation as you and I would love someone to talk to! I hope to hear from you!

chelseasummers
August 28, 2012

Wow! I feel for everyone here. I was studpid and had rhino last year to reduce my bump and all I want now is my old nose back. I am thinking about revision but I do not know what to do or what doc to see. I went to 2 different docs for a consultation and one wanted to make the tip smaller which I will not do. I just want it built up again. The other doc said he would use gore tex to build up the bridge and even can give me the bump back. I am not ready for the surgery as I feel that I am not fully healed yet. I think that cartelege is the most natural way to go but reading this make me wonder.

Anyone have experience with gore tex?

claire england
April 9, 2012

Hi there i have just had my 4th rhinoplasty (2nd open) and i had a graft taken from my septum (can believe he even got any)as was bit unsure about my ear thankgoodness i refused,i had mine put on the left side as i have a deviated septum like you im getting sharp twinging stabing pain and my nose looks like the graft has been stuck on one left side of the tip area does not look right at all!!i have posted some pictures of my nose and my botched columella area (right side cut off) on here asking the surgeons a question,i started this whole journey with a crooked nose and have been left devastated housebound (ive to young kids) and cry myself to sleep as ive ruined my face!!you may feel better with the graft removed but i fully understand the emotional waste and not to mention the cost its soul destroying!!

zhara in oz
May 19, 2012

hi, i feel so sad for you and know how you feel. i had a rhinolplasty in 2007 and am unhappy with the results. i am considering a revision but know i will need some grafting and am terrified of all the problems. Even if the result is good initially ive read that ear cartlidge etc, can warp. I so want to get my nose fixed but dont think i can go through the emotianal trauma of it not working out. Even if you choose the best surgeon, there are no guarantees. So confused. :(

Marilu25
July 4, 2012

I am so sorry to hear that .... :( I understand how you feel , I feel exactly the same .....

I couldn't find the pictures you have submitted here on realself... but I can imagine what you are describing ... Can this be fixed somehow ? What did the doctors here on realself tell you?
But I really understand how you feel and what you mean when you are talking about the emotional waste ....

Marilu25
July 4, 2012

zhara in oz : thank you for your understanding .... yes I really understand that you are so confused ... and I really understand why you are so afraid og having another surgery ... there is no guarantee , I know ....I regret that I had my revision ... it caused more problems ....

Marilu25
July 4, 2012

claire england : I saw your pictures now .... I am so sorry ....
I really hope that this can be fixed , but I assume that you are afraid of undergoing another surgery after all these you have been through !!!!!

look123
March 21, 2012

Hi, I´m going trough te same pain as you. I had my revision rhinoplasty because the first time my nose was overesected, piched and upturned. I choose a better surgeon to do the secondary rhinoplasty, but i thinkit was aa worst decision. He placed a graft from my ear, now my nose is crooked, because of the graft moved to the left, My ear has wrinkled skin, look like an elephant, and is less deeper thah the other. I whis to died. I don´t know why i did this to me. I whis to have my natural nose. Sometimes I don´t want to wake up, i´m loosing weigth, not hungry, crying alone. I know exactly how are you feeling. Now I visited another doctor and he said, that my nose is no to bad, he said that every rhinoplasty is harder than the previous, so the plan is wait until july, and make a third rhinoplaty just to replace in the graft in the right place. He ask me to stop using hialuronic acid, because it just camuflages the problem. but is no the best way to fix it. If some one knows about a good surgeon please let me know. I whis to be happy again.

Marilu25
March 22, 2012

Dear look123 ,

thanks for posting.I know exactly how you feel.Because I feel the same .
I am getting more and more depressed because of that.All the doctors I consulted before I had the revision told me that my ear would look the same afterwards and that the scar would disappear after a while.But now, 9 months after, the scar at the FRONT part of my ear is very visible and off course the ears are uneven,as I said.I asked the doctors here on realself about ear reconstruction and I also contacted a plastic surgeon who does ear reconstruction.According to him no septal cartilage could be used due to the 2 rhinoplasties I have had, to take rib cartilage is a little bit risky , so the only option was to reduce the other conchal bowl (with the incision at the BACK of the ear so that there is NO VISIBLE SCAR again )and to add a little graft to the ear from which the cartilage was taken.

About the one graft that I had placed in my nose: My surgeon will remove it because I have pain.He will also use laser treatment to fade the scar (I hope it will help, I really don't know).
But the surgeon who performed the revision thinks I am crazy when I am saying that the ears are uneven and that I want that to be fixed.But I am not crazy.It is VERY noticeable and I have to cover it with my hair all the time .

I wish that I never had the revision .The nose is still crooked, I have pain and a damaged ear.
After my first rhinoplasty I just had a crooked nose, but NO pain and NOT a damaged ear.
I am so depressed.

Angiemcc (Community Manager)
March 19, 2012

I'm so sorry this has been hard for you! I truly hoped that by mid-march you'd be happier with your results. If you look into another revision, make sure you go with a doctor who specializes in revision rhinoplasty! This is a very intricate procedure and you want to make sure you have someone who knows what they're doing. Keep us posted. Virtual hugs!

Marilu25
March 19, 2012

Thanks for posting, Angiemcc.
The doctor who performed the revision specializes in revision rhinoplasty and I saw many photos of what difficult revisions he had performed previously.But, obviously , I am the unlucky one.
I have complained to him for a long time about all these issues, but he said that I had to wait and that all these issues would resolve over time.But now I can't stand it anymore and he is finally willing to remove the one graft (although I have to wait a little bit).He said that it can be removed under local anesthesia and that I don't need another revision.He also said that he will use laser treatment in order to remove the scar in my ear.Howerer,he is unwilling to do something else regarding the ear,although the ears ARE uneven (the conchal bowl of the ear from which the cartilage was taken is much less deeper than the conchal bowl of the other ear and it is quite noticable).So I think that a have to find another doctor to fix the issues regarding my ear.And no, I will not seek another revision.I will be happy when I finally remove the graft and become painfree , and when I have fixed the ear.
Sometimes I wish that I just had left it alone after my 1.surgery.I had indeed a very crooked nose after my 1.surgery, but I didn't have issues like pain etc..Now after the revision I have the same crooked nose , plus pain and a damaged ear that needs to be fixed.I just wanted improvement and hoped that the revision would give me that, but I got many more problems after that.

Stuart7634
August 13, 2012

It's been 4-5 years since my ent Dr used part of my ear to help widen the left side for better air flow. it has completely collapsed, and I have about 15% airflow for breathing. can this be removed?. he did a great job on the rest of my nose, but refused to remove it a year after it was done. my voice sounds nasal, and mucous builds up because of this. this was done through Medicare/ medical, and I need help!. thank you for your posts.

Angiemcc (Community Manager)
February 26, 2012

Hi there!

I had this procedure done about 10 years ago. My ear healed beautifully. I don't remember the pain you mention, but I am left with a slight divot in the back of my ear (which cannot be seen because of the way the ear folds, so it doesn't bother me). I only had cartilage placed in one side of my nose and yes, my nose is still crooked!! And now the other side has collapsed. I wish I'd had cartilage placed in both sides.

I don't know if this helps you at all. Overall, I'm happy I had this done, but wish we'd been a little more aggressive back then.

Marilu25
February 26, 2012

Thank you for sharing your story, Angiemcc .
(I also sent you a private message).

My surgeon says that this scar heals very well in all the patients.So I don't understand why I still have this very visible scar after 8 months (and it will be 9 months next week).

And I don't like the twinges and the pain,I am really worried.The one cartilage graft is very pointy inside my nostril and it hurts.
And,as I mentioned before,the only thing that the revision rhinoplasty improved was the tip.The nose is still crooked.
But I have read that the nose shrinks over time, so maybe in the future the tip can become as pinched as before,who knows.
I don't really know if the revision rhinoplasty was worth it.But after this bad nose job I had some years ago,I had to do something to fix my nose.
But it seems that the nose is beyond repair.And I really don't have the money to undergo another revision.And of course I am VERY afraid that my nose will collapse with a 3.surgery.

I just wish that my first rhinoplasty was successful.. but it wasn't .. now it is too late...

Sharon at RealSelf (Community Manager)
February 22, 2012

Hi Marilu -- Thanks for sharing your story. I hope your surgery turns out well. Here are a few other community members who have had cartilage grafts. Most of theirs turned out okay once it fully healed. Hope this helps!