Pollybeak Deformity or Swelling After Rhinoplasty?

As plastic surgeons have stated, swelling is very common after rhinoplasty. Two weeks is very early. Supratip fullness (polybeak deformity) may be due to swelling alone.

Swelling after rhinoplasty is one of the most common questions. Thick skin usually holds edema and swelling longer than thin skin. The nose will continue to change gradually over time.

Rhinoplasty swelling occurs both on the outside and inside of the nose. Most swelling after rhinoplasty resolves within a month. The final 20% of swelling takes a much longer time to resolve, up to a year or longer after surgery. Fortunately, this final swelling is usually only evident to the surgeon and patient.

Time is the best treatment for nasal swelling after cosmetic surgery. Keeping your head elevated, maintaining the nasal splint/cast, ice, arnica montana, and following your plastic surgeon's guideline may help reduce rhinoplasty swelling. Persistent swelling may also be reduced by steroid treatment into the nose.

One must speak with your rhinoplasty surgeon to help determine appropriate options for you.

Rhinoplasty surgeons often claim it takes a year to reach a final post rhinoplasty shape.  You are why that is often proposed.  At two weeks you still have a great deal of swelling normally, so you are too early to really know what things will look like in the end.  Be patient, but continue to communicate your concerns with your rhinoplasty surgeon. 

I agree with the other comments posted:  it is far too early to evaluate your results critically.  This is most likely to be swelling.  I strongly recommend that you follow up with your Surgeon for concerns and questions.

This is probably only swelling. You won't be able to see your new nose for at least 6 months. Don't worry. It's normal.

Swelling in the area just above the tip of the nose (called the supratip) is very common. Typically a true polly beak has a firm underling ridge indicative of the undercorrected septum whereas swelling tends to be "fluffy" and can be easily depressed with finger tip pressure. Swelling will resolve on its own or possibly treated with steroids. in the judgement of th surgeon. A true polly beak will require additional srugery.

I saw your profile photo and read your concern. You can see swelling above the tip of your nose. This should improve significantly over the next 2-3 weeks. If there is persistent fullness at that point, you could ask your surgeon if a Kenalog injection might be helpful.

All the best from NJ

A Polly beak deformity in rhinoplasty usually results from excess cartilage in the "supra-tip" area (the area right above the tip).  It resembles the beak of a bird and often makes the nose look like it is pointing down.

Fortunately, in the initial stages of healing after rhinoplasty surgery, normal swelling can resemble this deformity - which is entirely temporary.  The best way to determine this is to put gentle pressure on the nose with your finger for 5-10 seconds and see if you can compress the tissues beneath.  If when you release, the nose looks better, then the diagnosis is likely swelling.  However, if you cannot temporarily improve the appearance (meaning just for a few seconds), it might be the remaining cartilage.

Patience is the key with any rhinoplasty recovery.

Two weeks post-op is way too early to  consider a polly beak issue. Give it some time to heal and for that swelling to dissipate.

Be patient. It will most likely go down. The most swelling is usually within the first two months. You will see many changes over the next year.

2 weeks after surgery this is probably a temporary supra-tip fullness secondary normal post-op swelling. We are all anxious immediately after surgery, but be patient.