I Want to Get my Hanging/drooping Columella Fixed?

Question

hey...i am 18...and i have a hanging columella....it looks really bad....so basically i want to get a surgery done to get it fixed....ONLY the columella nothing else...but i have a few questions..... 1. How long will it take for my nose to look normal, if i just get the columella fixed(that is when will all the bandages and all come off?) 2. My nose is wide, so it won't become wider right after getting my columella fixed? 3. Will my nostrils flare?

Shim Ching, MD · Answer

Repair of a hanging columella is a relatively simple procedure with little down time.  I would expect your nose to look normal in a week.  The incisions are placed inside the nostril so there will likely be no bnadages or external sutures.  The surgery should not affect the width and flare of your nostrils.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

This surgery to lift your columella can be done under local anesthesia and you can go to work the next day. Very minor bruising. I would need to see photos to answer the width question.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

These are all good questions, it depends on the actual anatomic problem and how it is repaired.  Pictures would help, but physical exam would be more helpful.  If the problem is just the caudal septum is too pronounced, this can be resected and should not change anything else.  If the footplates and medial crura have laxity, they can be sutured back to the septum.  This maneuver should not affect other dimensions either.  I usually perform this type of rhinoplasty under local anesthesia, and I take pictures right after the procedure.  The improvement is immediate and swelling is minimal.  I do not put on bandages for this.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

It is possible to perform just a columella-plasty and leave the remainder of the nose alone.  The columella-plasty can be done under a local or general anesthesia depending upon the patient’s desires.  There are no bandages and no cast placed on the nose after this type of procedure and it will not make the nose wider or more flaring after the procedure is performed.  Simply trimming back the membranous and cartilaginous columella will tuck the columella inward so it will no longer hang.  Please see the link below for a before and after photo of a patient who underwent rhinoplasty with columella-plasty. In addition, please see the link to the video below which shows reduction of the hanging columella

E. Ronald Finger, MD · Answer

You seem adamant that the hanging columella is your only problem and that you only want this corrected. If this is true, the procedure may be very simple and done under local anesthesia. It simply involves an excision of the skin and cartilage that hangs down just inside the opening of the columella. It will not affect our nostril size or the width of your nose.

	I suggest that an experienced plastic surgeon evaluate your nose and review your options.

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I Want to Get my Hanging/drooping Columella Fixed?

Answers (10)

Answer: Fixing a hanging columella

Answer: Fixing a hanging columella

Answer: How to repair my hanging columella

Answer: How to repair my hanging columella

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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.