Will the tip of my nose look more projected and less bulbous once the swelling has gone down? I'm 4 weeks post op. (photos)

Question

Hello, I had rhinoplasty and alarplasty 4 weeks ago and a goretex implant was used and also cartilage from ear was put in the tip. I know it is very early and my surgeon said I will see the final result after a year but I would just like to know once the swelling has gone done will my nose appear to look more projected and less bulbous? I think my nose skin is quite thick. Thank you very much

James Lee, MD · Answer

Thank you for the photos and question. 4 weeks is still very early post rhinoplasty, especially if tip work was performed. Over the next few months swelling will gradually subside and with that you will begin to see a more defined tip. You are correct; asian nose skin is usually thicker and I'm certain your PS took that into account when performing your rhinoplasty with cartilage grafting. You should follow up regularly with your board certified PS.

Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. Yes, your swelling will subside after a couple to a few weeks, depending on the patient because each healing process is unique. Your results are covered by your swelling at this point. Please follow the recovery instructions that were provided by your board certified facial plastic surgeon.
Best wishes,

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

You are very early in your recovery period and the nose is expected to be quite swollen at this point. The majority of the swelling will resolve in 3-6 months, and will continue to resolve as your nose heals for up to 1-2 years. You have not reached your final shape as the nose will continue to heal and reduce in size for up to a year. Once it does reach its final shape you may be more pleased with the appearance of your nose.

Peter Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

Four weeks is a very short time after a rhinoplasty for your to try to evaluate your final result.  Commonly, one does not see the final result of a procedure like a rhinoplasty until about a year after the surgery.  
Doubtless, your surgical result will improve with the passage of time. However, one can see from the photographs that you have rather thick nasal skin, that your overall nasal length is short, and that your columella is also quite short.  These are very challenging problems to correct, no matter what surgical technique is used.  Certainly, part of the art of plastic surgery is preparing patients with realistic expectations of what a reasonable surgical outcome would be, given the state of their preoperative anatomy, and no doubt your surgeon had this conversation with you before your operation.  
From the nature of the questions you are posing, it would appear that a follow up conversation with your surgeon may be in order, perhaps when three months have passed since the time of your surgery.  Mostly what is required from you at this point is patience, and a commitment not to pressure your surgeon to embark on any revision surgery of any kind until at least six months, but preferably about a  year, has passed since the time or your original surgery.

Jeffrey H. Lee, MD · Answer

Hi and thanks for your question.  4 weeks is early but it's unlikely the nasal tip will be more projected than it is now.  The swelling will probably improve making it more refined (ie less bulbous) but that's going to be a gradual and slow process.

Michael J. Yoo, MD · Answer

Thanks for posting.
You are most definitely very early in the postoperative recovery process and what you are seeing is largely swelling which will take up to at least 1 year to recede, sometimes a little longer.  Patience is key.
With regards to projection and bulbosity, it is likely that the bulbousness will go down as the swelling goes down, however, true projection tends to decrease.
Followup closely with your plastic surgeon
Best wishes.

Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Account Suspended · Answer

Hi there and thank you for the inquiry. Each person's recovery is different, but most rhinoplasty patients find that the majority of their swelling and bruising goes down within 3 - 3 weeks. However, subtle changes and definition of the nose continue to develop over the next several months as the nose heals and settles. Your nose may look puffy to you in the first few months post-operation, but normal to everyone else. Depending on how much the nose has been altered, it can take up to one year to achieve complete healing. Patience is key to healing and you will observe gradual improvements over the next few months. Hang in there!See attached links for more information.

Will the tip of my nose look more projected and less bulbous once the swelling has gone down? I'm 4 weeks post op. (photos)

Answers (7)

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