Revision rhinoplasty to lower my tip and bring in my nose - is this surgery too complex?

Question

Would it be too complicated for a revision surgery to lower my tip and bring in my nose? Is it too risky? I don’t want it to look even worse after the surgery. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!

Steven M. Denenberg, MD · Answer

I agree that your nose looks prominent. From the before picture, it almost looks as though the tip of your nose projects forward *more* than it did before surgery. Could that be true?

There's a thing that happens very commonly in rhinoplasty: if you move the tip of the nose back closer to the face, it *looks* as though the tip had dropped at the same time. So I'll bet that if the tip of your nose is moved substantially back toward your face in the revision, it will no longer look too short!

How do we figure that out before surgery? and how do we determine how *much* to deproject 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.)

Then, from the front, your nose still looks wide-ish to me, and the tip looks sharp, and the bottom of the tip actually droops some, despite the profile view looking too short to you.

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.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Revision rhinoplasty, surgery are by their very nature complex.
The fact that you’ve had previous surgery makes any new operation inherently more difficult.
To make an accurate assessment regarding the outcome of a plastic surgery procedure we generally need to see a complete proper set of before and after pictures. Any surgeon contemplating and doing revision surgery unless it’s the same surgeon who did your first procedure would probably also appreciate seeing a copy of your previous operative report.
Both your operative report and a complete set of before and after pictures should be available from your current provider if you request them.
I suggest scheduling multiple in person consultations with board-certified plastic surgeons in your community who have proven track record of doing revision rhinoplasty surgery.
During each consultation ask each provider to open up portfolio And show you their entire collection of previous patients who had similar situations such as yourself.
An experience provider should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients.
Revision rhinoplasty is not as common as primary rhinoplasty but someone who has mastered rhinoplasty surgery should have an impressive collection of before and after pictures of rhinoplasty revision surgery.
 Provider selection is very important, because rhinoplasty surgery and especially revision rhinoplasty. Surgery is inherently complex and difficult.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD.

Revision rhinoplasty to lower my tip and bring in my nose - is this surgery too complex?

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Revision rhinoplasty to lower my tip and bring in my nose - is this surgery too complex?

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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.