Rasping under local anesthesia - will this get rid of my scar tissue?

In general, rasping is a procedure to eliminate or lower excess nasal bone. Rasping techniques would not be utilized to reduce scar tissue. Sometimes asking questions with photographs, along with a description of what you would like to achieve, are the most beneficial. I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Dr. Joseph

Hello and thank you for your question. I don’t recommend having rasping performed under local anesthesia. This will usually make the nose look better for 1-2 months and then it will actually get much worse long-term afterwards, with contour irregularities developing. This is because the skin of the dorsum is extremely thin. A much better approach is to do a formal revision with rasping and placement of a dorsal onlay fascial graft to help smooth the dorsum. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified rhinoplasty surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Hi, thank you for your question. Any procedure on the nose to reduce scar tissue, whether rasping or revision surgery, runs the risk of more scar tissue formation. The main benefit of a revision is that you have more control over the precise operation and you can also place small camouflage grafts under the skin to reduce the scarring effect, however in most cases a general anaesthetic will be needed. Sometimes a steroid injection can also help. It will be best to discuss these options with your surgeon to decide what is best for you. Best wishes.