Could thick skin 9 months after my rhinoplasty be scar tissue? (Photos)

As swelling in the nose after a rhinoplasty subsides more slowly in thick skinned patients, it may take longer for them to see their final results. And as you appear to have thicker skin as well, it would be advisable to wait for about 18 months after your surgery to decide about what action to take if there are still some issues bothering you.Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Thick skin can effect recovery after a rhinoplasty. It can hold on to edema or swelling for a longer period of time and can make definition of the tip more difficult. 

You certainly have thick skin and may be more likely to need 1-1.5 years for all the edema to resolve, however, there is no harm in trying some kenalog steroid injections. Speak with your surgeon about this. They can give you the best indication of how long it will take to see your final results.

HiIf you have thick skin then you don't get your final result until the 12-18 month mark. So the short story is that you need to wait until the 18 month mark before having anything done.  That being said I think the issue you have is probably more than just swelling.  It is most likely you have some residual septum that has not been resected (this is called a supratip deformity). So in short - sit tight and wait.CheersDamien

Dear fsaadat,It is best to speak to your surgeonInjecting kenalog with 5fu will thin the skin and give you more definition because it thins the skinIf you are still feeling like your questions are not answered, then a second opinion may help tooThings should improve over timeBest regards,Dr Nima

Thick skin is always difficult to work with and can take more than a year to tighten up. The main thing to do is to keep in good communication with your surgeon. If you feel like you need another opinion, then that is always OK - just make sure you are seeing a rhinoplasty specialist. But if your nose was thin before, then it can usually get there again.

The nose can be a very slow healer.  I would try to be patient with the process since it's possible that it could take up to a year for complete healing.  Speak with your surgeon about the options available to help reduce the swelling and give it time to heal.  Be well.Michael R. Macdonald, MD, FACS, FRCSC

Based on your photos, you may have relatively thick and oily skin - before your rhinoplasty. When there is thick oily nasal tip skin, swelling may persist for longer than 9 months, and you may not achieve as much narrowing and definition as someone with thinner skin. Hope this helps you. Dr Joseph

Thicker skin definitely can slow down the healing process. As others have mentioned the time course can easily extend to a year and half and occasionally even longer. Simply massaging the area can be helpful (just a few minutes a day) as can steroid injections. I would advise you to follow up with your doctor regularly. 

Dear fsaadat, Patients with thick oily skin will still have residual swelling at nine months post rhinoplasty surgery and it can take a full year to a year and a half for all of the swelling to resolve. See your surgeon often for follow up appointments and discuss injections to reduce the swelling. See an example in the video below of changes one can expect after a year and many before and afters in the link below. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.