Overprojected bulbous tip after nose job 7 years ago, is this normal? Fixable? (Photo)

Hello and thank you for your question. Based on your photograph, you are a great candidate for a revision rhinoplasty. Maneuvers for your surgery would include tip refinement, nasal tip deprojection, tip elevation, among other maneuvers. With good surgical technique, you could have an outstanding result. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified rhinoplasty surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Based on your photo, you are a great candidate for revision. The length of the tip can be reduced, and it can be lifted some as well so it won't look as obvious when you smile. Also, you may need your bridge to be built up some because it appears low. This will help balance your tip better. Be sure to see a rhinoplasty expert that can do computer imaging at the same time to show you these things.

Unfortunately, your situation is not so uncommon. Besides the tip being wide, the tip sits very low, and to my eye, your nose would benefit from having the tip elevated. Elevated quite a bit, actually. The reason it's not so uncommon is that narrowing the tip, and elevating the tip, and controlling how far the tip projects forward from the rest of the nose, all depend on changing the two tip cartilages, and working on those tip cartilages is by far the most complicated part of a rhinoplasty, and a part that most plastic surgeons cannot accomplish with expertise.

But as I said, in the right hands, most likely your nose can be improved a bunch.

Hello, It seems that with time your dorsum (the bridge) settled down and revealed the disproportion with the tip. The tip does not grow or become more bulbous, however the swelling resolves and the tissues settle to reveal the true structure and integrity of the nose. The case of solving one problem and creating another is all too common when the rhinoplasty approach is basic and what I call "generic". When preforming a rhinoplasty, it is very important to consider all aspects and areas of the nose, as they change relative to one another. An example is where one area becomes smaller, then area next to it becomes bigger. Yes, this is fixable but requires a quality revision rhinoplasty by a surgeon that is not just board certified, but is specialized in dealing with revisions. I advise scheduling at least 2 or more consultations with such surgeons and having a thorough discussion with each, including computer morphed imaging to understand the end goals. Good luck!

Much more information is needed, such as a full set of facial photographs from all angles that are in focus to make a determination about being a candidate for a revision rhinoplasty. It would also be helpful to have a copy of the operative report to find out what was performed in the first surgery. It's also important to know if there's any cartilage left over on the inside of your nose for potential grafting purposes. Thick skin in the tip of the nose is going to prevent refinement in that area, so it's very important to have realistic expectations