1 month PO - Why is my dorsal hump still there? I'm happy with the results so far except my dorsal hump. What can I do about it?

Hi @Pita Lynn! Considering you are only 1 month post op, you are very early in the recovery process and you are still swollen. Swelling can last up to 1 year post op. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for your question and photos! At only one month post-op your nose is still swollen from surgery. It can take up to a year to see the final results from a rhinoplasty. It is important that you are following your surgeon’s post-care instructions to maximize healing. An example of rhinoplasty post-care instruction includes not wearing glasses during the first six weeks of the post-operative period. I recommend giving your nose more time to heal and keeping an open communication line with the surgeon in order to meet your cosmetic goals.  Best of luck,Dr. Kian 

It takes at least 6 months to see fine details after rhinoplasty. However, dorsum height and relationship between dorsum and tip may be seen earlier. Based on aesthetic criteria of a surgeon and patient desire (most important) straight or slightly concave (more feminine, softer) dorsum are the options. I would suggest waiting about 6 months and, if you still consider your dorsum to be too high, discuss further reduction with your surgeon. Tip rotation and improvement of nasolabial angle, which is frequently problem in cleft patients, can also be considered. Good luck.

Give it some more time. You already seem on the fence for it so regardless wait a bit to determine if its something you want to do more about. That being said I like to categorize revisions into two categories: major and minor. A major revision is one in which we have to put you back to sleep and open your nose and most importantly the recovery starts over again. Deviation, breathing and tip issues are general examples of this. Leaving too much dorsum, like in your case, I would consider minor as that can easily be done with some local anesthetic and a quick shave in MOST circumstances. That being said if your surgeon took off TOO much the problem is much more difficult to solve. Good luck!

Hello, and thanks for your question. One month is very early post op. One cannot truly judge the final outcome until about a year post op. However, from your pictures, it seems that perhaps your dorsal hump may have been under-reduced. Also, does your nasal tip droop and your upper lip foreshorten when you smile? If so, you may have a hyper-active depressor septi muscle that can be treated. More photos with full smile would be helpful. Also, rhinoplasty in cleft lip/palate patients can be very challenging. It is possible you might have some residual deviation when all the swelling has resolved. For now, be patient. Up to 10% of patients may need a revision. All the best.

Dear Xotinkbaby, In my practice I perform digital imaging during consultation so that the patient and myself have an open line of communication regarding their desired results. Some patients may want to keep a a straight profile and others may want to have more reduction of the dorsal hump. Each rhinoplasty is artistically designed to provide the patient their desired nose. If you wanted a more reduced dorsal hump then likely you will not be satisfied with your result. With that said, you are very early in the recovery phase and will need to wait for approximately six more months to have an idea of your final result. If you decide you want to further refine and reshape your nose then a revision procedure will be required. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.