Columella-How Much Does It Shrink over Time After Open Rhinoplasty? (photo)

Question

is the columella is the last to minimize in swelling/ also the least to shrink after surgery? I told my DR. prior to surgery that I really didn't want for my columella to be visible at all if seeing from the side views, he said this would be easy to achieve. After asking a friend DR & him looking at it, he suggested I talked to my surgeon b/c in his opinion my columella would heal in a way in which from the side would appear to hang or drip, today its day 15after surgery what do you think?

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

I read your concerns and reviewed your photos:

	You did not provide a pre-op profile photo for comparison. I agree you have a bit of nostril show post-op, but your result is nice. The base of your nose is certainly swollen, and the hang of your columella may improve as your swelling dissipates.

	Hope this helps.

	 

	Dr. Joseph

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

You're quite early after surgery so the columella will likely continue to heal. The swelling after rhinoplasty takes the longest to go away in the tip area. Continue to follow up with your surgeon to make sure everything is healing normally. Once things have stabilized you can assess your columellar position most accurately.

Sam Naficy, MD, FACS · Answer

2 weeks post surgery is still very early for you to judge the results of your surgery - be patient and follow up with your surgeon.  Swelling can make the columella hang down more.

Ronald Schuster, MD · Answer

Looks good so far. Nice shape and proportion. Too early to be concerned about columella. Nothing to be done about it now even if it should stay the same. Would need to wait at least 3-6 months for a revision, which you probably won't need. Focus on the positives. It looks great.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

You are very early in the healing process and the irregularities that you are noticing are more likely due to swelling than anything else. The columellar size is also due to swelling. It will take you another 6 months before you can begin to judge your result.

Columella-How Much Does It Shrink over Time After Open Rhinoplasty? (photo)

Answers (10)