Removing columellar strut graft after rhinoplasty?

Question

I am now one year post-op. Something that has been bothering me this whole time is that my doctor used a very long columellar strut graft. I don’t like this for many reasons - it creates tension between my nose and top lip, making my smile look weird; it makes my tip more upturned than I would like; it makes the tip incredibly hard and uncomfortable; it’s so long that I can feel the bottom of it far down from my nose. How hard would it be to get it shortened/removed by a different doctor?

David C. Pearson, MD · Answer

A columellar strut that's too long can be removed or (better yet) shortened. In most cases, this can be done in the office under local anesthesia (injections of numbing medication) through a tiny incision and with minimal downtime.All the best,--DCPPearson Facial Plastic Surgery®

Tanveer Janjua, MD · Answer

A columellar strut can be shortened through a small incision under local anesthesia. You dont want to completely remove it as it gives a nice support to the tip. Just trim the bottom and it should help with your issue. RegardsDr. Janjua

William Portuese, MD · Answer

A thorough internal and external examination of the nose, operative reports, and before-and-after pictures going to be required to make a determination about how best to proceed. The Columellar strut can be removed.

Removing columellar strut graft after rhinoplasty?

Answers (3)