Cartilage on tip of nose is hard and circular at 20 month post op - will this settle or is it permanent? (photos)

Question

Hi,I am 20 months post op from my Rhinoplasty. As my nose heals I am noticing that the tip of my nose has hard cartilage that still is rock hard and isn't soft at all, and has now created a circle on the tip of my nose that's very noticeable. I don't like this look and my question is will the cartilage continue to settle down or will it stay like this forever, if so what can be done about this?

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

Based on your photos, you appear to have very thin nasal tip skin, and I believe you are looking at a final result at 20 months after rhinoplasty surgery. If you liked how your nose looked, perhaps 3 to 6 months after surgery, you may be a candidate for microdroplet Silikon-1000 injections. The purpose of these injections would be to soften the edges of visible nasal tip cartilage. This may help to achieve a natural looking nasal tip appearance without undergoing further surgery. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Dr Joseph

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. Based on your photographs, you may benefit from a a Revision in order to soften your tip and give it a more symmetric uniform surface without the cartilagenous tip asymmetries. Maneuvers for this could include nasal tip deprojection and placing a mastoid fascial tip graft. 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

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

At 20 months after surgery, your results have been final for quite a while.
Your results are not going to change by waiting longer.
Some people have more fat under the skin covering the Cartlidge, then others.
The visibility of the cartilaginous structures of the tip varies from person to person. It also varies to some degree based on how the procedure was performed.
Changing the visibility of the Cartlidge may be challenging and I’m not sure if this alone justifies having revision surgery.
Follow up with your provider or schedule in person second opinion consultations with other plastic surgeons who have extensive rhinoplasty experience in your community.
To make an assessment regarding the outcome of any plastic surgery procedure, we generally need to see a complete set of proper before and after pictures.
If you don’t have a full set of before, and after pictures, then ask your surgeon to forward the pictures they took.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Cartilage on tip of nose is hard and circular at 20 month post op - will this settle or is it permanent? (photos)

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Cartilage on tip of nose is hard and circular at 20 month post op - will this settle or is it permanent? (photos)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

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