Revision rhinoplasty

UsefulRhinoplastyInformation.com is intended as a helpful resource for people considering nose surgery, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

The majority of rhinoplasty operations are a positive experience for patients and they are extremely happy with the outcome of their nose job. However, an estimated 10 to 15 percent of patients go on to have revision rhinoplasty. A minority of cases where revision surgery is necessary are down to a surgeon’s error. But for most patients, further surgery is needed to remedy problems arising from unforeseen rhinoplasty complications or to remove visible scarring.

Patients may also request secondary rhinoplasty even when the first procedure went well. In some cases the patient decides that the nose they thought they wanted isn’t quite ‘right’ for their face and wish to undergo further surgery to improve on their nose further or even to change the nose back to its original appearance. In a small number of cases repetitive surgeries can be due to deep rooted psychological reasons, but this will be assessed by the clinic before surgery is carried out. Surgeons are within their rights to refuse to perform surgery if they do not think the patient is emotionally or mentally enough to undergo further rhinoplasty.

If you require revision rhinoplasty it is normal to find that your procedure is being carried out by a different surgeon to the one who initially carried out the operation. This is mostly due to the fact that secondary procedures are much trickier to carry out as scar tissue and previous alterations to the cartilage may limit what can be achieved, and a different range of skills are required of the surgeon.

There is a great deal of variation in the extent of work which may be needed in a secondary operation. For instance, if the nose was bumped or damaged during the healing period then minor surgery may be required to fill a dip with a small silicon implant or a bump can be filed down. Minor secondary rhinoplasty is frequently performed on an out patient basis and post-operative recovery should be quick. At the other end of the scale, revision rhinoplasty may be required to correct both the appearance and function of the nose which can be a difficult procedure and a short hospital stay may be required.

The extent of revision surgery required also has a bearing on the cost. Minor work such as filing a small bump should cost very little but more extensive work can be a lot more expensive than the initial rhinoplasty procedure.