Excess Skin Between Eyes After Rhinoplasty, What Fixes This?

Question

I've had two rhinoplasties to remove a large hump on the bridge of my nose, the second one being about two weeks ago. Now that the swelling has gone down in the area I've noticed that I have excess skin around the side of my upper nose next to my right eye. On the left side the skin in the same place is tight and looks normal. The problem is that the contour of my nose looks very asymmetrical now as it appears to curve on one side. What type of procedure should I have done to fix this?

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

At two weeks, I would not get too excited about what you see or don't see at just two weeks after a rhinoplasty.  Swelling can make this area look like it has too much skin.  This will improve with more healing.  It is possible to directly remove skin on the bridge of the nose by direct excision.  A decision must be weighed between the visible scar that will be produced vs the appearance of the excess skin.  That assumes that you have "excess skin" once you have healed.  Your surgeon would most likely advise you to wait 6 to 12 months before assessing this.

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

At two weeks this is likely due to swelling. It can take several months up to one year for the nose and surrounding area to completely heal. You should be following up closely with your rhinoplasty surgeon for the next few months. If that swelling is not settling by three months and the asymmetry improving bring it to your surgeon's attention. However, it is highly likely that any asymmetry you see around your eyes will resolve with time.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

You are still very early in your recovery phase following your rhinoplasty.  This excess of skin you are noticing will get better over time.

Michael Sundine, MD, FACS · Answer

At two weeks following a rhinoplasty it is very difficult to assess whether any sort of procedure would need to be performed.   I would allow for a significant amount of time (like over a year) to elapse before considering any intervention.  I have only needed to excise excess nasal skin in patients with hypertelorism (a congenital birth defect where patients have a widened distance between their eye sockets).  So hang in there.

Kristina Tansavatdi, MD · Answer

Two weeks after a rhinoplasty swelling has a tendency to distort the nose. There is also asymmetrical healing on either side of the nose. Be patient. This should even out over the next few weeks. If at 3-6 months, the asymmetry is still there then I would communicate with your surgeon to see what can be done to resolve this or you can request a second opinion at that time.

Excess Skin Between Eyes After Rhinoplasty, What Fixes This?

Answers (7)

Answer: Dealing With Excess Skin Between Eyes

Answer: Dealing With Excess Skin Between Eyes

Answer: Nose asymmetry after rhinoplasty

Answer: Nose asymmetry after rhinoplasty

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Excess Skin Between Eyes After Rhinoplasty, What Fixes This?

Answers (7)

Answer: Dealing With Excess Skin Between Eyes

Answer: Dealing With Excess Skin Between Eyes

Answer: Nose asymmetry after rhinoplasty

Answer: Nose asymmetry after rhinoplasty

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.