Give Your Nose Time to Completely Heal
Your nose is a delicate structure made of small pieces of bone and cartilage. These components dictate the shape and size of your nose and how well it functions. When a surgeon restructures or alters the cartilage and bone, it can take a long time to heal. If you’ve had a rhinoplasty before, you know this to be the case. With revision rhinoplasty, surgeons now have to work with scar tissue leftover from the original procedure and make sure that they don’t permanently damage the internal structures of your nose. For this reason, most rhinoplasty surgeons require a minimum of 12 months before you have a revision rhinoplasty. This time period is important in allowing the scar tissue to become flexible enough for the doctor to work with and for all the swelling to subside.
Find a Good Doctor, Even If It’s a New One
You are under no obligation to return to the same surgeon who did your first rhinoplasty. If you didn’t like the results from that surgery, you probably don’t want to spend more money to be disappointed a second time. There are many plastic surgeons who are specialists in revision rhinoplasty, meaning they are specifically trained and qualified to work with patients who are unhappy with their previous surgery.
Do your research. If a doctor specializes in rhinoplasty, check to see if they specialize in other sub-areas. Do they have experience in revision rhinoplasty? Are they board-certified? What do current and former patients think of their experiences? Look through before-and-after pictures to see if you like the doctor’s work. Make sure that you are comfortable and confident in your doctor’s abilities before agreeing to a second surgery.
Communicate With Your Doctor
Once you find a doctor you like, don’t be afraid to say exactly what you want. Tell your doctor how you want your nose to look or what parts of your nose you would like changed. Explain why you are unhappy with the previous rhinoplasty results so the doctor understands why you are seeking revision rhinoplasty. If you aren’t clear about your goals, you could wind up with a second nose that you don’t like.
Listen to Your Doctor
On the flip side, it’s important to understand that a revision rhinoplasty is more difficult to perform than the original rhinoplasty. The doctor now has to deal with scar tissue that is even tougher than untouched soft tissue. The cartilage and bone structures could also be more fragile after the previous surgery. Because of this, your doctor may not be able to give you exactly what you want without causing serious damage to your nose. However, a good plastic surgeon will try to work with you so that you can be satisfied with how your nose will look after surgery, even if it isn’t exactly what you were hoping for.
Prepare for a More Difficult Recovery
Revision rhinoplasty involves working on the same delicate structures that were previously operated upon. Because of this, your nose is prone to a more difficult recovery. It’s likely that the swelling and bruising you experienced after your first surgery will be even worse, and your nose as a whole will probably take even longer to completely heal again. The good news is that your recovery process will be basically the same, with bandages, splints, ice packs, and pain medications.
As part of the preparations, you’ll want to consider when you would like to schedule your surgery. Since the recovery can take longer and be harder on you as a patient, you’ll want to avoid having the surgery within a few months of any important events, such as a conference or important business meeting, or maybe a wedding or family reunion.
Revision Rhinoplasty From Dr. Hobgood
If you are looking to have your nose fixed after a previous rhinoplasty surgery, contact our office in Scottsdale, AZ, to schedule a revision rhinoplasty consultation. Dr. Todd Hobgood is a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in revision rhinoplasty and has over 10 years of experience. Of all the rhinoplasty surgeries he has performed, about four out of every 10 are revisions. It’s very important to Dr. Hobgood that he gather as much information as possible about the previous surgery and about the patient, including his or her overall goals for the appearance and function of their nose. His overall goal is the comfort and satisfaction of his patients while achieving the most natural-looking results possible.
You can reach our office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., by phone or in person. You can also contact us using our patient information page here on our website. Call (480) 418-6415 to schedule your initial consultation!
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