{"id":26799,"date":"2024-07-01T13:27:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T20:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=26799"},"modified":"2024-07-18T13:45:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T20:45:01","slug":"nose-job-rhinoplasty-problems-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/nose-job-rhinoplasty-problems-solutions","title":{"rendered":"Nose Job Gone Wrong: The Most Common Issues Doctors See\u2014and How They Fix Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether a rite of passage among teens, an antidote to aging, or something in between, when it comes to facial plastic surgery, rhinoplasties<\/a>—which can improve the nose aesthetically and functionally so a person can breathe more easily—are very popular, reliably landing among the most-requested procedures. Last year, for instance, nose jobs were the third most common cosmetic procedure, with more than 44,000 performed, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons<\/a>. <\/p>

Unfortunately, when it comes to revision surgery<\/a>, rhinoplasty is also very common, with studies<\/a> showing that up to 15% of rhinoplasty patients seek a second surgical procedure due to breathing difficulties or cosmetic issues.  <\/p>

Such a high revision rate isn’t surprising, when you consider that nose surgery is widely regarded as the most challenging of all plastic surgery procedures. Even in the best of hands and using precise surgical technique, problems can occur that lead to a botched nose job. Chalk it up, at least in part, to the complicated anatomy of the nose (it’s the only part of the body that has three tissue structures—skin, cartilage, and bone—encompassed in one) and the vagaries of healing. <\/p>

“Noses are incredibly difficult, mainly because they’re very unforgiving of minor irregularities,” explains Dr. Dara Liotta<\/a>, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City. “Millimeters matter in a way that they may not in other parts of the body.” Add to this the fact that the nose is not just for decoration. “At the end of surgery, noses need to breathe and be structurally sound, not just look pretty,” says Dr. Liotta, a top rhinoplasty surgeon who performs up to 15 nose surgeries a week, half of which are revisions of someone else’s work. <\/p>

Revision rhinoplasty: a second chance to get it right<\/h2>

If primary (or first-time) rhinoplasty is a hard surgery to get right, revision rhinoplasty<\/a> procedure is even more difficult—it has a higher revision rate than primary rhinoplasty. “A revision rhinoplasty is always going to be considered more challenging, even if it may seem like a ‘small refinement’ to a patient,” says Dr. Sarmela Sunder<\/a>, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and rhinoplasty specialist in Beverly Hills, California. “There is extensive scar tissue after the first rhinoplasty, and the skin of the nose doesn’t have the same robust blood supply after a previous rhinoplasty.” Weakened internal structures can also make working inside the nose more complicated. The upshot: “There are no guarantees with revision rhinoplasty,” says Dr. Liotta. “The ultimate potential for improvement depends on what we’ve been left with after the first surgery.”<\/p>

Despite the risk of further dissatisfaction, rhinoplasty patients with imperfect surgical outcomes are often motivated to seek a revision to fix a range of issues, from minor irregularities to obvious deformities that are telltale signs of a bad nose job. Be aware, however, that not all imperfections after primary rhinoplasty are improvable with more surgery. “Some issues can get worse,” warns Dr. Liotta, and consulting a board-certified surgeon who’s experienced in secondary surgery is key to knowing what’s fixable and what’s not and getting it done right—”because each time you do a revision, it becomes more and more challenging,” says Dr. Sunder. <\/p>

Luckily, these six common concerns are correctable with revision surgery. Bear in mind that every nose shape is unique and there are many reasons various issues occur. As a result, “there’s no cookie-cutter answer,” says Dr. Sunder. “You have to address it to the situation.” <\/p>

Interested in rhinoplasty?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>
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