Revision Rhinoplasty 1 Year Ago, Still Have Swelling?

Question

Hi, I had my revision rhinoplasty exactly a year ago. There is still a lot of swelling on my nose. The swelling has been going down VERY VERY slowly each month. My question is now it is summer and the weather is hotter. Will the swelling still continue to go down? is there anything I can do to protect my nose? And does the heat still affect the nose after a year. Answers would really be appreciated.

Evan Ransom, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for the great question. Most surgeons will tell you that the final result of a primary rhinoplasty (after all the swelling has gone down and the tissues have settled) takes about a year. With revision work, this can be up to 18 months or longer. In my practice, patients with prolonged swelling are sometimes given injections of small amounts of a mild steroid. This helps to get rid of any residual edema and break up scar tissue before it hardens. As for your last question, during the healing process after rhinoplasty, many people will see fluctuations in the swelling. These can be related to physical activity, diet (salt intake), etc., etc.

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

It is not uncommon to have residual swelling in the tip 1 year after extensive revision surgery, especially when cartilage grafts were used in the tip in patients with thick skin. Little can be done to accelerate healing except small injections of steroids in some patients.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Hi,

If you still have swelling after 1 year, its not going to get better... Heat has very little to do with your swelling at this time.

Best,

Dr.S.

Revision Rhinoplasty 1 Year Ago, Still Have Swelling?

Answers (3)