Will The Columella Soften Again After Strut is Placed In It?

In general the tip will soften a bit as the nose heals after rhinoplasty. It's not clear how far along in this process you are. The strut is there to provide extra support to the tip so it will likely be somewhat more stiff than before by design.

This comcept goes for the prominence to the area you mention as well. Increased columellar show may occur with strut placement, but you may just have some temporary swelling in the area that may take a few months to improve.

A LOT would depend HOW the cartilage graft was placed and how LONG it has been since the surgery. Columella strut (umbrella) grafts have several purposes including of lifting the tip, straightening a crooked columella and rotating the tip of the nose. In most cases, there should be a significant softening in a few months after the surgery.

Peter A Aldea, MD

You haven't provided any time frame from your surgery. In general while things will soften with time, the purpose of the strut is to provide a strong foundation for your tip support. There are always tradeoffs and in your case you may have a firmer columella in exchange for lasting tip support and projection.