My nose is crooked 8 months after open rhinoplasty. It was straight when the splint was removed. Is this permanent? (Photo)

Nola87- the results you are seeing are representative of why we, as surgeons, encourage our patients to wait a full year to see results.  A lot can change during that time.  Your immediate postoperative photos look very nice, but they don't take into account 1.  the swelling that was present and may have masked your current asymmetry, 2. contraction of the skin and soft tissues that my have led to your deviation over the course of healing, or 3. A combination of the first two.  You are not completely to the one-year mark, but I feel that the asymmetry you are seeing is likely present for the long term.  The cause, though, should be determined by a good physical exam.  Then, you can look at what options are available to make things straighter.  I would visit with your surgeon who will know best about both the cause and remedy.  You will likely have a number of options available to you.  Good luck!

Thanks for your question. While some mild refinement can still take place, I think you are correct in assuming that the nose will not straighten out on its own at this point in the healing process. The best way to determine the cause of your deviation is a physical exam. The photo suggests that the deviation may be a result of the top of the septum still being a little crooked.  This makes the most sense to me because cartilage has memory, and after your splint was removed, the cartilage simply bounced back to the position it knows best. I would visit with with your surgeon again to address these concerns. I bet he or she would be willing to revise this once you hit the year mark.  If not, seek another opinion from a facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon. As as a side note, another doctor in this forum made some very specific recommendations regarding narrowing your alar base and alar shaping. It's impossible to make treatment recommendations of this order without an exam or at minimum a full set of standardized photographs. Also, it doesn't address your primary concern, so don't get too wrapped up in all that. I wish you well!

Thank you very much for sharing your concerns about your Rhinoplasty with us.Congratulations for having patience and wait more than six months PO, which is the recommended time allowed to make judgments of value and be precise and accurate.After having analyzed all the info and photos provided to us, i recommend to perform a Secondary Rhinoplasty (not a tip revision) this means (basically) treat the nasal bones and the nasal cartilages.Therefore i would perform a narrowing of the nasal base (nose osteotomy) and alar and triangular cartilage shaping.Respectfully,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

A little hard to say with exam. I do not re-operate on open rhinoplasty patients for at least 18 months as it can take that long for all tissues to settle and soften. This may be permanent, but you cannot be certain yet and I would not recommend addressing it now even if you knew it WAS permanent.

I am afraid that you are correct, in that, at 8 months there is little chance for you nose to become less crooked than it is now.  The issue may be due to internal scarring and continued bending of the supportive cartilages. You will have to decide if it is worth considering additional surgery to try and correct this issue.

With these pictures I'm not sure whether your nose is deviated which will require a revision to correct  or asymmetrical which may be secondary to swelling that still may improve. An examination will be necessary to diagnose the problem.