Is it possible to have a rhinoplasty with the tip remaining exactly as soft and flexible as it was pre-op or is that impossible? I see too many people who are 3 year + post op complaining how their tips are still rock hard and inflexible.
October 23, 2022
Answer: Can a tip remain soft and flexible after rhinoplasty? Can a tip remain soft and flexible after rhinoplasty? The answer to this question depends on what type of procedure is performed on the tip. If the tip merely requires a modest reduction in width with trimming of the tip cartilages , then the tip will still be soft after surgery. In some cases the tip lacks projection, Or dips downward particularly when smiling. There are procedures to correct this which involve the placement of cartilage grafts to support the tip in a more” up and out” direction than the “down and in“ preoperative direction. The placement of such grafts as well as some of the suturing techniques that are sometimes required to make a wide under projecting tip thinner and more projecting will make the tip firm and less flexible. I have had many patients whose tips were so soft and flexible that if you touch the tip it would touch their upper lip. In such patience it is desirable to add the type of support mentioned above to bring the tip up and out . the resultant firmness keeps the tip from lying in a low position and “sitting on“ the upper lip and is, in a way, an improvement.
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October 23, 2022
Answer: Can a tip remain soft and flexible after rhinoplasty? Can a tip remain soft and flexible after rhinoplasty? The answer to this question depends on what type of procedure is performed on the tip. If the tip merely requires a modest reduction in width with trimming of the tip cartilages , then the tip will still be soft after surgery. In some cases the tip lacks projection, Or dips downward particularly when smiling. There are procedures to correct this which involve the placement of cartilage grafts to support the tip in a more” up and out” direction than the “down and in“ preoperative direction. The placement of such grafts as well as some of the suturing techniques that are sometimes required to make a wide under projecting tip thinner and more projecting will make the tip firm and less flexible. I have had many patients whose tips were so soft and flexible that if you touch the tip it would touch their upper lip. In such patience it is desirable to add the type of support mentioned above to bring the tip up and out . the resultant firmness keeps the tip from lying in a low position and “sitting on“ the upper lip and is, in a way, an improvement.
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