Nose shifted 2 years post-revision (Photo)

Question

In January 2019 I had a rhinoplasty and septoplasty combined. After my initial rhinoplasty, I had a closed revision to attempt to straighten the nose (noticed no change) and refine the tip (worked). In November of last year I woke up one day and my nose looked severely broken, the nose seemed to slide strongly to the right. I am two years post-revision and I am trying to understand what happened. Nose feels a little sore sometimes, like after the surgery.

Steven M. Denenberg, MD · Answer

The reason I ask is that, from these frontal views, the nose looks long, with the tip drooping down. In a frontal view, like these, we see the asymmetry more prominently when the nose is long -- we are able to see the curves. If the tip is elevated, there is less length to show the asymmetry, so whatever asymmetries remain after an attempt at straightening the nose are less noticeable, and that helps the result a lot. So, if, on the 3/4 views especially, if the nose appears that it might look nicer with the tip elevated, that is a good sign for success in another operation. If there is no desire to elevate the tip, then yes, correction of this asymmetry is possible to attempt, but it's much harder to get enough improvement to make a big difference.

If you *do* decide to have more changes to the nose, how *much* to elevate the tip, or make other changes? We figure that out with morphs, well before surgery. I'd love for you to see some excellent professionally-designed morphs of what could possibly be done with your nose. Morphs could also help you identify better just what's bothering you, and help you set a goal for the rhinoplasty that's accurate for your tastes. Profile and three-quarter views would be particularly important in morphing your nose. (Side note: in my opinion, morphs should really be done by the surgeon, or he should direct an assistant as she makes the morphs. Morphs should be made with a constant eye to what actually *can* be done in surgery, for that particular nose, and the surgeon has that information and judgment best.)

Finally, remember that rhinoplasty is an exquisitely difficult operation to get right, and you should only have surgery if you are able to make yourself very confident in your surgeon's skills. The changes that your nose needs require advanced techniques, and skill that most plastic surgeons don't possess with expertise. It's much better to not have surgery than to have inexpertly-performed surgery. Read my essay on how to stay out of trouble while selecting a rhinoplasty surgeon. And it also discusses how to take photos that are best for online evaluations.

And for those who have had previous surgery, it also discusses how to tell whether your first surgeon should be performing your revision.

Nose shifted 2 years post-revision (Photo)

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Everything you need to know about Revision Rhinoplasty

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

Nose shifted 2 years post-revision (Photo)

Answers (1)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Revision Rhinoplasty

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