Does the Nose Become Smaller As Scar Tissue Matures?

It does take quite a while for the swelling and skin to heal after rhinoplasty -- especially with making the nose smaller as the same amount of skin must shrink wrap over the smaller nasal framework.

The time frame for this healing process to occur varies depending on your specific surgery and your anatomy (skin type). The thicker your skin the longer this process takes.

Although you'll often hear that healing is complete after 1 year, I often find that with the long term follow-up that I prefer to have with my patients, subtle changes will continue to occur to the nose for even a few years after surgery.

Yes, the nose does become smaller over time following rhinoplasty surgery.

Not only does scar tissue contract, but the post-operative swelling and edema takes many months to resolve. It does, in fact, take up to 12-18 months to see the final result of your surgery. Nonetheless, I do believe in steroid injections, if needed, to help even out any contour irregularities or prolonged swelling post-operatively.

There are so many variables to the healing time of a nose following rhinoplasty: the thickness of the skin, the amount of size reduction, the skill of the surgeon, the health and age of the patient. At 19 weeks in my practice my patients may have 1-2 mm of soft tissue swelling, especially just above the tip. Refinement over time is usually the rule. There is a scar contracture factor that can set in at about a year and progress for many years after. Without seeing your photos it is hard to say but I would be that you will see some improvement over time.