Are on-the-table photos an accurate representation of what you will look like at 1 year? (photos)

Hello. Usually photos taken immediately post-operatively on the operating room table are almost representative of the final result of your rhinoplasty. However, there are cases where there is already swelling at the time depending on the length of the procedure and your skin type, among other things.

It’s hard for a patient to make sense of an intraoperative photo so I usually don’t take a picture. If a patient wants one I let them know ahead of time they will not know what to make if it because of swelling and bruising.

Can't tell anything from the provided photos because it's cut off. That said, what does your nose look like now? That's all that matters.

Is the nose swollen on the operating table? As surgery is performed the nose does swell. The final result should be somewhat thinner particularly in the tip area then the final result on the operating table. I doubt anything was done on the operating table to make your nose tip larger than it was before. Therefore this could only be swelling.

They are useful for seeing what it looked like when the surgery was completed. There is swelling and changes will occur over time and not a true representation of what it will look like once evrything is healed and all of the swelling gone.

Robert Singer, MD FACS

La Jolla, California