Rhinoplasty Revision

Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Pincus provides patients revision rhinoplasty surgery as part of his range of cosmetic surgery procedures. The operation consists of correcting areas of asymmetry and deformity resulting from a prior surgery. Generally speaking, additional surgery is performed no sooner than 6 months after the original operation. This allows time for all the swelling to subside and the nose to settle, so that any deformities/asymmetries that were masked will become manifest. As with the original operation, a revision rhinoplasty can be performed under general anesthesia (totally asleep) or under intravenous sedation (twilight sleep). It is usually a more complex operation because of the scarring and disruption from the original surgery. Additionally, material used to correct the deformities such as nasal septal cartilage may not be available as graft material, and ear cartilage, rib cartilage or synthetic material may be needed. Though most corrections can be accomplished in one revision, occasionally additional procedures may be necessary. The postoperative care is generally the same as with the original procedure, and most patients are healed enough to return to work after one week.

Since each additional surgery is usually more complicated than the previous, it is crucial to ascertain your surgeon’s skill in doing revision rhinoplasties. You should look at as many examples of his work as you can. Remember that not all surgeons who do straightforward, primary rhinoplasties know the techniques or have the experience to do revisions.