Severely upturned nose 2+ months after surgery. Is the top likely to drop? (Photo)

Question

I had tipwork and septoplasty done a little over 2 months ago. I was told my tip would drop with time but seeing how much higher/upturned it is in my post opt profile I am having doubts. My nostrils seemed stretched out as well. I did not ask for an upturned tip and expected my results to be far more subtle. How likely is it for my tip to fall back to its original pre-op position, and has my tip been over-rotated? Please help thank you.

Philip J. Miller, MD, FACS · Answer

It's too soon to tell what your final result will be. You have to give yourself some more healing time.  Your nose and surrounding areas are going to be swollen for a while and you should be consulting the surgeon that performed the procedure but give yourself some time before going back in so some of it can subside. It can take up to a year for final results.
Sincerely,
Philip J. Miller, MD, FACS Double Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nirmal Nathan, MD · Answer

Dear torrie66,
It does appear your nose is overrotated. You had a short nose to start so the tip can become overrotated with certain tip procedures. You may still have some tip swelling that as it resolves, will allow the tip to drop, but I don't think to the extent you will need. Regardless, you need to wait a year for your nose to heal and then evaluate. You may need a revision to lengthen your nose with grafts. I know it can be frustrating, but the worst thing to do at this point is to do another surgical procedure a this time. You may be able to inject some filler to the bottom tip of your nose to lengthen it. Hope this helps.
Nirmal R. Nathan
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Richard Mark Winters, MD · Answer

indeed it is early and you will benefit from sitting tight, but certain issues are worth pointing out and may become worthy of careful evaluation and consideration at a later date...you clearly have undergone significant shortening of your nose during the process of removing your dorsal hump...the untoward consequence of this when left unaddressed is upward tip rotation ....interestingly, it also appears that you have possibly had a columella strut or some other form of supportive grafting to your tip which has improved your projection....lengthening and derotating the nose can be difficult and requires waiting a bit from the original surgery so that the skin softens and it becomes easier to address this...

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD · Answer

As you have experienced, changes occur over the course of rhinoplasty healing. At first, the nose looks too "fat" and too "up," especially at the tip. Most of the dropping happens early, but there can still be significant changes over the full year and beyond.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

It is extremely common for swelling to last well beyond two months and, of course, this will skew your perspective. I recommend waiting at least 6-8 months before coming to any conclusions as well as maintaining an open dialogue with your surgeon.

Severely upturned nose 2+ months after surgery. Is the top likely to drop? (Photo)

Answers (5)

Answer: Swelling aftter septorhinoplasty

Answer: Swelling aftter septorhinoplasty

Answer: Nasal upturn

Answer: Nasal upturn

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Severely upturned nose 2+ months after surgery. Is the top likely to drop? (Photo)

Answers (5)

Answer: Swelling aftter septorhinoplasty

Answer: Swelling aftter septorhinoplasty

Answer: Nasal upturn

Answer: Nasal upturn

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

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