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

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

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.