How Safe and Effective is It to Cut the Depressor Septi Muscle?

Question

My nose tip tends to droop with facial animation. I have heard that cutting the depressor septi muscle can help alleviate this problem. However, I am wondering how safe, easy, and effective this procedure is compared to other rhinoplasty procedures (e.g., a full rhinoplasty). Is this a procedure that most experienced nose surgeons should be able to complete? Thank you for your insightful answers.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Cutting the depressor nasi septi muscle can be an effective method of minimizing downward turning of the nasal  tip with smiling. However, piror to proceeding with this you could try Botox.

Travis T. Tollefson, MD, MPH · Answer

Dear New York

	
		This Rhinoplasty technique can be effective,but the muscle fibers can reattach and not be completely effective.
	
		 To see if you would like how it looks :
		
			
				You can ask your surgeon to inject a small amount of local anesthesia (lidocaine) into the muscle.
			
				This lasts only an hour or so.
		
	
	
		If you liked that, you could have Botox placed (lasting 3 months or so)
	
		If you wanted more permanent changes, then rhinoplasty would be your next step.
	
		In my experience, most people choose the division of muscle during rhinoplasty if they liked the simulation.


	Best Wishes

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

It si safe and very easy to cut the depressor septi muscle to decrease nasal tip droopng when smiling. This can be done as an isolated procedure or as part of a rhinoplasty procedure. It is an effective technique, but some motion may return if the muscle reattaches.

George J. Beraka, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi.

	It is unusual for the downward moving tip to be an isolated problem. So typically detaching the depressors is done as part of a rhinoplasty. But it can certainly be done by itself.

	Several muscle fibers need to be detached, spreading from one nostril to the other. Then we insert a spacer so that the muscles don't reattach.

How Safe and Effective is It to Cut the Depressor Septi Muscle?

Answers (4)

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