Let's Be Honest Here....Long-Term Results of Rhinoplasty Operations? Should A Rhinoplasty Result Not Be Permanent?

The alterations that are made will be permanent, regardless of the type or amount of cartilage placed.  The issue is continual aging, often in the form of thinning skin.  This makes changes to the bone or cartilage become more visible over time. 

We nearly routinely place supporting columellar struts to add structural support to the tip, and this helps maintain tip position following rhinoplasty. The thickness of your skin may also be a factor in your long term result after rhinoplasty. Thin skin tends to be unforgiving and patients with thin skin may be more likely to see irregularities as swelling resolves. Hope this helps you.Dr Joseph

Great question. Yes, one should expect to have a rhinoplasty surgery only once. Here's the issue though - any rhinoplasty requiring grafts, particularly for tip refining may be subject to change for a variety of factors ie. Quality of soft tissue envelop, cartilage warping, cartilage resorption esp, when rib cartilage used as a cantilever graft, lack of structural support when needed ie. Strut graft etc. As surgeons, most of us, if not all, have a small percentage of revision surgeries and I believe, that should be discussed with patients, dictated by the situation. Thank you.