When you have a rhinoplasty you expect the perfect nose for your face. It should be balanced, straight, smooth, proportional, symmetric, and, you should be able to breathe better than ever! That’s what your doctor wants for you as well.
But, rhinoplasty (nose jobs) are complicated. They are so complicated that even with an expert and experienced surgeon, the chance of needing a revision is about 11% (1 in 9) in published papers. (For us at TSC it’s less than 2 % or fewer than 1 in 50. Read on to learn more about that.)
The problem usually is that things don’t heal exactly as you want. Think about planting a garden. You can dig the same size holes, use the same seeds, water the same amount, and use the same fertilizer, and yet, one of the plants won’t grow as well as the others.
I find that most of the time the problem is time. If you have thick skin, you’ll get the nose you want, but you have to wait longer because thicker skin holds on to swelling longer. Most of the 2% of people who need a subsequent intervention for a rhinoplasty done at TSC just need something to get the fluid out faster. (We do that with either an injection of a steroid medication, or a treatment like Morpheus 8.)
But, problems can occur and that’s where having the experience of a TSC surgeon really helps. We’ve done hundreds of revision rhinoplasties on people who have travelled from far and wide to get their noses right when they had a problem with another doctor. In the most extreme cases we’ve seen people who have come to use after 6 prior surgeries!
Fortunately, we know how to fix these things. Sometimes it’s just adding a bit more support. Other times it’s more complicated and involves rebuilding much of the inside of the nose. Either way, knowing the anatomy inside and out, and having a great grasp of the function and healing of the nose can get you the right outcome. Dr. Spiegel has published papers and lectured on details of nasal anatomy, structure, and function. When it comes to rhinoplasty – we literally wrote the book on it.
When you’ve done as many nose surgeries as Dr. Spiegel, you look forward to revision rhinoplasty as you get a chance to really use your skills.
Interested in a rhinoplasty? We’ll get it right the first time.
Had a rhinoplasty somewhere but need something adjusted? It’s never to late to get it right this next (and last) time!
