Unable to Smile Propely at Almost 7 Weeks After Rhinoplasty

I read your concern:

Nearly all of my Rhinoplasty patients have temporary heaviness of their upper lip when smiling. I place a columella-strut in nearly all of my patients: this type of cartilage graft is used to support your tip, and the bottom of it lives in the muscle of your upper lip. This results in some difficulty smiling for 6-8 weeks following rhinoplasty surgery. This has not been permanent or problematic in any of my patients.

Good luck with your healing.

I hope this is helpful for you.

Regards from NJ.

It is extremely common for the upper lip and smile to be affected for months after rhinoplasty due to stiffness and swelling in the base of the nose

Hi,

This is not an uncommon concern following a rhinoplasty. In fact, I usually tell my rhinoplasty patients that their smile will not feel the same for at least the first 3 months after the surgery. This is due to a combination of post-operative swelling and dissection around the columella, as well as dissection along the junction of the nose and lip. Believe it or not, patients tend to have some swelling even months out after surgery. As you mentioned, you have already started to see a change with more visibility of your teeth as the swelling starts to dissipate. It will likely only be a matter of time before you start seeing even more of an improvement. Good luck!

Dr.Sunder