Are pictures taken of rhinoplasty directly after surgery (in the operating room) accurate to post-healing results?

I sometimes take intra op or immediately post of photos just for my education especially if the rhinoplasty was unusual. This could be an accurate example of what happened in surgery, but as we all know the final results may not be evident for months. But as my colleague mentioned, if it doesn't look good as soon as the procedure ends, it will never look good later.

Hi, thank you for this question. The answer is no. You can see a general improvement in the shape of the nose immediately postop, but the nose changes significantly over the following days/weeks/years. One can see a nose continue to change even up to 2 years after surgery. If you are considering rhinoplasty, I recommend seeing a board certified aesthetic plastic surgeon.

This is a great question. We obviously look at our results at the end of each rhinoplasty to decide if we are satisfied with the results, but this is not the time to take a post op picture. In fact the nose keeps changing up to two years after the surgery. A perfect result one month after the operation may not look so perfect a year later. This is especially true in thin skinned individuals.

Hello and thank you for your question and sharing your photos. Intra-operative pictures are somewhat useful and can give you some idea, but typically only show the profile view. It's best to evaluate rhinoplasty results after several months to a year, from different angles (front, oblique and profile) and when the swelling has resolved. Best,

immediate post op pics are useful to a degree. They show that things have changed significantly and also show the basic relationship of tip to profile. Results are exaggerated due to swelling at that point. They echo but not directly reflect the end result. 

Hello and thank you for your question. Photographs from the operating room can be somewhat representative of the beginning result, but there is significant swelling.  It is better to view photos at a later date (up to one year) also after more swelling has resolved.  Make sure you specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon.  You should be able to view numerous pictures of actual patients with noses similar to yours performed by your surgeon.  If you cannot find enough real before and after pictures, then consider continuing your search for a surgeon.

Best wishes and good luck.


Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS

Harvard-trained plastic surgeon
 

Photos taken immediately after rhinoplasty, on the OR table are useful, but do not show what may result in a year. There is always significant nasal swelling at the end of surgery that will slowly dissipate and lead to millimeters of change in time. Since rhinoplasty is the surgery of millimeters, one year postop photos are the gold standard for evaluating results. Great question! Thank you Dr Joseph 

Great question! Photos in the operating room are helpful, however, there are factors that we must keep in mind about intraoperative photos. The amount of swelling and the subsequent shape of the nose is affected by the amount of local anesthetic that has been injected in the nose and the duration of operative time. Obvious changes such as reduction of a substantial hump can be noted on intra-operative photos, however smaller refining maneuvers can be difficult to accurately gauge in these photos depending on the degree of swelling. Nonetheless, intra-operative photography is a great educational tool and an excellent way for patients, doctors, and trainees to gain more information of the actual surgery. 

many colleagues criticize on table before and after photos, citing inaccurate messaging and the like.  Some COMMON SENSE rules to live by: FACT- if it doesn’t look really good on the table at the end of the surgery,  it’s unlikely to EVER LOOK GOOD  months or years after the surgery.FACT- if it looks really good on the table after the surgery,  it has a higher likelihood of looking really good in the long term (but of course, some things do change for the worse after rhinoplasty) Hope this helps.  

The only photos that are accurate are those taken 1 year after the surgery. Photos in the or may be close for the bump removal but not for the tip.