How Much Smaller Can a Revision Rhinoplasty Make a Nose?

Pictures or an exam would be necessary to evaluate. Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty revisions each year. Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

It will really depend on your anatomy, skin, and overall goals. I recommend scheduling a consultation to discuss your goals.

The overall size of the nose prior to surgery is the main determinant as to how small it can become after surgery.  Noses are made smaller by reducing the underlying nasal structure. Since skin is not removed during surgery (with the occasional exception of the ala), it must be able to shrink onto the new, smaller structure.  This process is one of the primary reasons swelling takes so long to resolve after rhinoplasty. If the nasal structure is overaggressively reduced, the remaining skin envelope may be too large to accommodate it.  This leads to problems such as pollybeak deformities and round, amorphous tips.

Hello, and sorry to hear you are not happy with your surgery. It is difficult to provide you with specific advice without seeing any photos. The degree to which a nose can be made smaller depends on the individual circumstances of the patient, and an exam would be necessary to answer your question. In general, patient's with thick skin may not always achieve the level of definition they desire. I would recommend a consult with a board certified revision rhinoplasty specialist. He or she will be able to evaluate your nose in person and provide you with advice. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

A picture would be worth a lot in this instance. Lacking photos, your only option is to have an experienced surgeon examine your nose. It can most likely be improved but many times the surgeon will need to set reasonable expectations based on his/her experience and your special anatomy as well as your own expectations. Just make sure the surgeon is experienced and has a firm understanding of your concerns as well as a plan that you are in agreement with.  Best of Luck  Dr Harrell

 Without any pictures it, it is impossible to determine what percent can be narrowed. There to many variables present such as previous surgery, pre-existing anatomy, Post rhinoplasty anatomy,  thick skin, previous trauma and  previous surgical manipulation of the nose to determine how much of a change can be made without a consultation and physical examination in person.Virtual rhinoplasty software was available on our website to see what amount of change you  would like. 

In essence you have now had two procedures on your nose, one from trauma and one from your surgeon. You also have thick skin, which makes it difficult to get a "small nose". I would suggest you see at least 3 experienced rhinoplasty surgeons, look at as many of their photos as possible, and see how you feel after those visits. Good luck!

There seems to be two problems here. #1 You have a nose that has already undergone some severe trauma, which alone can cause some permanent swelling. #2 You stated that you have " thick skin" which will dictate how refined, or smaller, any nose, including a secondary rhinoplasty nose may look . Search out an opinion from an experienced plastic surgeon as this is not an easy problem to solve.