Is my nose still swollen 6 months post-op or is this my final result? (photos)

Question

I am young, healthy and have thin skin but experienced significant swelling immediately after rhinoplasty and it seems my nose is still swollen at 6 months post-op, especially around the bridge where my dorsal hump was removed. Will this ever be resolved? My surgeon says to be patient but I am becoming concerned by the lack of progress.

Raghu Athre, MD · Answer

Most of the time swelling after a rhinoplasty refers to swelling over the tip, supra tip (area right above the tip) and over the middle vault of the nose.  
In thin skinned individuals, the swelling overlying the bony dorsum dissipates pretty rapidly.

I am assuming pic 1 is before, and pic2 is the after.  The amount of swelling directly over Bony bridge (dorsal aspect of the nasal bones) seems pretty minimal.  Via pics I cannot ascertain the amount of swelling vs the scar vs, the outward spaly of the nasal bones at the nasomaxillary junction.

There is no substitute for a physical exam in this case

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Postop swelling and the bridge of your nose: most surgeons feel that it takes at least a year to see the final result after rhinoplasty. However this applies most especially to the tip where the skin is thicker. On the bridge the skin is thinner and if you have thinner than average skin the results in the area of the bridge should appear sooner than a year. From the first picture you show it appears that the left side is slightly more prominent than the right . The second picture you show looks fine. I presume it is a computer simulation of what you would like your nose to be. If that is the case I doubt that it will be quite that thin, but without seeing you in person and feeling the bones that is just a guess.

Is my nose still swollen 6 months post-op or is this my final result? (photos)

Answers (2)

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