What Can Be Done About my NOTCHED Nostril?

Question

I had a revision rhinoplasty 3 weeks ago. I absolutely love my right profile. Everything I wanted. But my left profile is horrible. The notched nostril takes away from the seamless feminity of my profile. I don't look in the mirror because I get really depressed. My PS suggested that he will put fillers in the nostril to even it out when I reach one month post-op. He also advised I stretch the nostril down everyday to help soften the flare. However, so many of you advise against fillers....

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

There are ways to permanently repair notching of the nostril margin, though I would suggest you give it time to allow your nose to heal. At this earlier stage it's hard to get a full sense of what your baseline will be (which could lead to under or over correction).

	It can take about a year for the scar contracture inside the nose to evolve, allowing your surgeon to better assess what needs to be done. A rim graft is a great way to improve mild alar retraction as it can add cartilage support to the nose in that area to bring the margin down a little bit.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD · Answer

This notching is something that occurs sometimes even when the surgeon has created good tip structure. You need something to brace the skin against retracting further and bring it down. Fillers are a good temporary solution but you might need a rim graft for more permanent help. Work with your surgeon on timing. If you match the nostril to the other one now it may be oversized in 2 or 3 months when the swelling goes down.

What Can Be Done About my NOTCHED Nostril?

Answers (2)