Nostril asymmetry rhinoplasty clarification - is it a common post-op issue?

Question

I have read more than a few times on realself doctor replies that say Nostril asymmetry is a common issue. I am trying to understand if this is a common issue before or after surgery. I would think not giving someone asymmetrical nostrils would be rhinoplasty 101. I am symmetrical nostrils and would like to get a nostril reduction. Is asymmetry a common post op issue?

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

If you have preexisting asymmetry of your nose, including the nostrils, you can almost be sure there will be some asymmetry afterwards. No matter who does it. I explain  this carefully to patients and it is in The surgery consent.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Nostryl asymmetry may be present before and, also, after surgery. If present before surgery, it should be brought to patient attention and discused. It can be improved and corrected in the course of rhinoplasty, but healing, scar retraction, lack of support, can created small asymmetry even after very good rhinoplasty. This is an issue that you need to discuss with your surgeon in detail before undergoing rhinoplasty. Hope this helps.

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Nostril asymmetry before and after rhinoplasty: nostril asymmetry may exist both before and after rhinoplasty. If the nostrils are asymmetric before rhinoplasty an attempt is usually made to correct the asymmetry if it is significant. However there are only one or two ways the nostrils can be changed so certain types of asymmetry are more correctable than others. If a person begins with essentially symmetric nostrils, Your question is , can they get asymmetric nostrils as a result of rhinoplasty. The answer, unfortunately, is that this does sometimes occur. It is anything but rhinoplasty 101 in fact nothing about Rhinoplasty is 101 which is why plastic surgeons who wish to be successful with Rhinoplasties have to give up everything else and do nothing but noses, and do thousands of them, before they get good at it. The problem is that a mere millimeter of discrepancy makes a visible difference. Plastic surgeons refer to rhinoplasty as the” surgery of a millimeter”. The nose is swollen during surgery so what may look symmetric on the operating table on a swollen nose may not look symmetric later on when the swelling goes down. Also after surgery there is scor tissue formation which can be different on the two sides and may change The appearance of the nostrils differently. There are also other things done during a rhinoplasty such as procedures on the Tip which can alter the size and shape and appearance of the nostrils. Here again a mere half millimeter or 1 mm discrepancy which may not even be visible to the surgeon during surgery may show up as an asymmetry later on. unfortunately performing a rhinoplasty is not like carving a piece of wood. When carving a piece of wood what you see while you were doing it is what you get. With rhinoplasty what you see on the operating table changes in the early postop. And then continues to change throughout the postoperative period for up to a few years. There are times when nostrils look perfectly symmetrical on the operating table and during the first several months but a year later may appear asymmetric. This is also true of other aspects of the nose. This is white rhinoplasty is considered by far the most difficult surgery in the entire realm of plastic surgery and requires such a vast experience to get good at it. Even the most experienced nasal surgeon in America who wrote a thick book on Rhinoplasty and spent much of his career before retiring lecturing other plastic surgeons always began his lecture by saying that he was sometimes humbled by the results after rhinoplasty and never uses the word perfect. Fortunately in experienced hands the majority of Rhinoplasties though not perfect are a major improvement over the starting point and the imperfections are usually minor and not noticeable to most people who do not analyze and study the nose with a pair of calipers. The way you should look at your own nose after rhinoplasty is to step back and look in the mirror from about 3 feet away and look at the total effect and how pretty it looks on your face and how pretty your face looks because of it. The moment you pick up a pair of calipers and begin diagramming analyzing and comparing the sides and searching for minute asymmetries you will ruin your own enjoyment of what is usually a nice result. Some surgeons say that if you are going to be too critical postoperatively you might not be a proper candidate for a Rhinoplasty. Also if your nose is really not bad to begin with and the change you are seeking is minute it might not be worth doing it since with the minor changes may come tiny imperfections which will cancel out the benefits. But if you have a rather large, unappealing nose and have a Rhinoplasty with an experienced surgeon who specializes in , or preferably only does nasal surgery, the overwhelming odds are that you will be satisfied with the overall result.

Nostril asymmetry rhinoplasty clarification - is it a common post-op issue?

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Nostril asymmetry rhinoplasty clarification - is it a common post-op issue?

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