Rhinoplasty is one of the most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed in the United States with over 200,000 performed each year according to physician surveys.
Of these procedures, approximately 5% to 10% may be revision rhinoplasties, or secondary surgery performed on the same patient to correct problems or complications from the first surgery.
The need for revision surgery is therefore the most common "complication" of rhinoplasty surgery.
Other potential complications include bleeding, infection, and scarring- typical to any type of surgery.
Revision rhinoplasty should be relatively uncommon when the primary surgery is performed by a skilled practitioner.
Patients generally should not "expect" to need a revision, regardless of how their nose looks to start with.
Nevertheless, some noses are certainly "worse" than others and the best plastic surgeon can usually only take a nose up one to two or maybe three notches on the scale of 1 to 10.
Almost any nose can possibly be made to look better with a "touchup,'' but this must always be weighed against the risks of additional surgery and the potential to make the nose look worse.
The old adage "the enemy of good is better" holds true with regard to revision rhinoplasty in some cases.
Some common "complications" addressed with revision rhinoplasty include: breathing problems, residual hump, and asymmetries.
Breathing complications are usually due to missing a deviated septum or other pre-existing problem, or to resection of too much cartilage by the primary surgeon.
A deviated septum is easily addressed with a septoplasty, however reconstruction of nasal valve collapse may require an open revision rhinoplasty and several hours of surgery.
Rare complications of rhinoplasty include scarring, infection, and bleeding.
Scarring is more common with revision surgery due to contraction and thinning of the skin.
Bleeding is usually an early postop complication that can be minimized by using small, precise instruments for osteotomies (bone cuts).
Infection after rhinoplasy is exceedingly rare in healthy patients and generally resolved quickly with antibiotics.
Of these procedures, approximately 5% to 10% may be revision rhinoplasties, or secondary surgery performed on the same patient to correct problems or complications from the first surgery.
The need for revision surgery is therefore the most common "complication" of rhinoplasty surgery.
Other potential complications include bleeding, infection, and scarring- typical to any type of surgery.
Revision rhinoplasty should be relatively uncommon when the primary surgery is performed by a skilled practitioner.
Patients generally should not "expect" to need a revision, regardless of how their nose looks to start with.
Nevertheless, some noses are certainly "worse" than others and the best plastic surgeon can usually only take a nose up one to two or maybe three notches on the scale of 1 to 10.
Almost any nose can possibly be made to look better with a "touchup,'' but this must always be weighed against the risks of additional surgery and the potential to make the nose look worse.
The old adage "the enemy of good is better" holds true with regard to revision rhinoplasty in some cases.
Some common "complications" addressed with revision rhinoplasty include: breathing problems, residual hump, and asymmetries.
Breathing complications are usually due to missing a deviated septum or other pre-existing problem, or to resection of too much cartilage by the primary surgeon.
A deviated septum is easily addressed with a septoplasty, however reconstruction of nasal valve collapse may require an open revision rhinoplasty and several hours of surgery.
Rare complications of rhinoplasty include scarring, infection, and bleeding.
Scarring is more common with revision surgery due to contraction and thinning of the skin.
Bleeding is usually an early postop complication that can be minimized by using small, precise instruments for osteotomies (bone cuts).
Infection after rhinoplasy is exceedingly rare in healthy patients and generally resolved quickly with antibiotics.
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