When You Nose Cartilage is Swollen, Does the Cartliage Actually Gain Size or is It Just the Skin Around It Thats Swollen?

I'm assuming that your asking about how surgery to reduce the size of the nasal tip works? Often, an unrefined, bulbous or unattractive tip results from oversized nasal tip cartilages. The cartilage is not swollen, it is just large. Tip rhinoplasty involves reducing and reshaping these cartilages to create a smaller or more refined nasal tip. The skin is typically not changed. It tends to contract well over time to accommodate the new shape of the nasal tip. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

The skin and soft tissue around the cartilage is actually what becomes swollen, not the cartilage itself.  As healing matures, the swelling subsides, and the tissue/skin envelope "shrinks" around the underlying framework composed of cartilage and bone.  This process can take many months to be complete, although most of it occurs within the first 3-4 weeks.

Hi there,

The cartilage itself doesn't swell after rhinoplasty.  It's the tissues around it.

Good luck.