I was hoping to have a rhinoplasty procedure done in the fall, I'm thinking for an alar base reduction but I've not had a consultation. The problem is, I have an ethnic nose with thick, oily nasal skin. As of right now, I am using Differin but I was wondering if using Accutane would thin out my skin before surgery to help my doctor achieve the best results. For rhinoplasty surgery in my case, would it be more beneficial to start using Accutane before or after my rhinoplasty?
Answers (8)
From board-certified doctors and trusted medical professionals
After a rhinoplasty procedure, the thickness is a result of the swelling of the skin overlying the bone. The bone itself does not swell. It usually takes 6 months for the swelling to recede to visualize the final result.
If you see the cartilage after one year, it is probably just the graft itself and not much residual swelling. You may need to remove the cartilage graft.
There are some maneuvers to force the tip back down such as trimming the caudal septum, releasing some of the ligaments in the nose, and extended spreader grafts. All of these maneuvers can help to push the nasal tip downward. Digital computer imaging would be helpful to understand what can be...
