Nose too small and unnatural. Can revision help me look like myself again? (Photo)

The postoperative time for most rhinoplasty patients is often fraught with anxiety. During a rhinoplasty, the skin and soft tissues are often completely separated from the underlying bone and cartilage framework. The framework is modified and the skin is laid back down. These are big movements that are often intended to create millimeter changes to the shape of the nose once it heals.After a rhinoplasty the nose swells from the trauma of surgery and the tissues become edematous. This makes the normally pliable skin firm and causes the nose to take on a “weird” appearance in the first few weeks after surgery. This swelling and firmness cause the tip to rotate, the dorsum to appear rounded, and the columella to swell and bow out from under the nose. As the initial swelling settles out over the first few weeks, the dorsum begins to settle, the tip starts to soften, and the columella swelling begins to dissipate. The nose continues to settle over the next few months as the edema finally escapes and the soft tissues adapt to their new underlying framework. See the following link for more info.It will take 9 months to a year to see a final result. Close follow-up with the surgeon is essential. Patients should allow at least 6 months for the swelling to resolve and the tissues to soften before contemplating any changes. At that point, a detailed exam and discussion will help delineate the best treatment option.

Revision rhinoplasty can make improvements in specific areas of concern.  Full evaluation with an in person consultation will be necessary and you should take particular care to insure that you and your surgeon fully understand and agree upon the goals and expectations of the revision procedure.  Your nose will not be exactly as it was before but an experienced revision rhinoplasty surgeon can help you obtain the result you want.

 A full set of facial photographs are required to make a determination about being a candidate for rhinoplasty revision. This includes a frontal, three-quarter angle on each side and 2 side profile in a chin neutral position  and un-animated. Also important to wait at least a year to revise the entire nose, since  it is not fully healed. It's also important to understand that you will never go back to your original nose, and you are only  going to make improvements moving forward from the existing structure. Consider a chin implant for the weak and recessive Chin profile to help with facial balance and proportions.