Crooked nose 3 weeks after rhinoplasty. Is there any hope for it to become straight? (Photo)

Question

Hi! I underwent rhinoplasty 3 weeks ago to get rid of a small bump on my nose. After the operation I noticed my splint was quite asymmetrical as you can see in the pics When the splint was removed the nose looked fine. It’s been 3 weeks now and I have been taping my nose every night but now I have started to noticed it’s started to look like it did when I had the splint on.. bent, pushed to one side and the tip is uneven, is there any hope for it to become straight?

Richard Mark Winters, MD · Answer

Your title caught my eye.... now that I have been performing surgery for 28 years and my practice is focused on rhinoplasty, I perform a large number of revisions.... in my evaluations and discussions with revision rhinoplasty patients, we talk in detail about what has been done for/to them in the past and how that translates into our new plan.... although I never characterized primary rhinoplasty this way, it truly CAN be as you say: a Pandora’s Box.... this is mostly true of rhinoplasties where destructive maneuvers are employed... typically, everything appears great at first, but as swelling abates and collapse, warping, scarring and contracture set in, the deformities become evident.... In my rhinoplasty practice, I have found that the only way to mitigate these phenomena is to utilize structural grafting and nondestructive techniques during primary and secondary surgery...The solutions to your issues require spreader grafting to straighten your dorsal septum and either lateral crural strut grafting, baton grafting or alar rim/composite grafting for nostril collapse/retraction/asymmetry...Good luck

Jordan P. Sand, MD · Answer

Hi pandorasboxx and thank you for your question.
Healing after rhinoplasty takes a very long time and goes through multiple stages. Sometimes massage, injections or other interventions are necessary to help promote 'proactive' healing. I would recommend returning to the surgeon who performed the operation for them to examine your nose and help develop a treatment plan.
Good luck!

Mark B. Constantian, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

When your surgeon reduced your bridge, he or she opened the cartilaginous roof that formed part of the bump. When that happens, the sides lose some of their support and fall toward the midline of the nose.If the septum was slightly deviated or curved (as yours is toward your right), one sidewall (in your case the left one) has more room to move than the other. That's why your nose looks newly asymmetrical. The surgeon did not create the asymmetry; he or she simply exposed it.If you get to the end of the year and the asymmetry is intolerable or you have a new airway obstruction, which you may, find a surgeon who can place asymmetrically thick spreader grafts, which will reopen your airway and straighten your external nose.

Crooked nose 3 weeks after rhinoplasty. Is there any hope for it to become straight? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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