Rhinoplasty
is one type of cosmetic surgery that is
often revised. This is especially true
for people who seek rhinoplasty later
in life.
Why is that, you ask? Rhinoplasty is
a type-changing surgery, which means that
it can change your entire appearance.
If your mind is unable to accept your
new look, whether or not your friends
and family think it is a wonderful change,
you may not be able to get used to it
and may not like it. You may seek revision
surgery when the problem may just be that
you are not accustomed to your new nose.
The change affects more than how you
see your face. Your nose may even feel
"funny" when you wash your face. Your
hands are still familiar with your old
face and don't recognize the new one.
Often, when patients catch a glimpse of
themselves in the mirror they report being
"caught off guard". This is why many people
seek to revise their nose through further
rhinoplasty surgery. Of course, sometimes
the nose does need further work. Even
the best rhinoplasty surgeons cannot control
how the body heals and sometimes this
healing distorts the final results.
And of course, there are a few less-than-wonderful
surgeons out there. Unfortunately, if
a good result is not achieved the first
time around, it is even more difficult
to obtain on the rhinoplasty redo. Revision
(also called secondary) rhinoplasty is
complex because the body has formed scar
tissue or because too much tissue was
removed the first time around and none
is left over for revision.
There are cosmetic
surgeons who specialize in revising
noses that have already been operated
on. If you have had a bad result twice
with rhinoplasty, you should look for
a rhinoplasty revision specialist. The
more rhinoplasties one receives the more
difficult it is to correct, regardless
of the revision surgeon's skill. Revision
rhinoplasty may require adding material
to your nose. Cartilage grafts may be
used or even implants to help fill out
where your tissue was mistakenly removed
in your original rhinoplasty.
You get very used to seeing the same face
in the mirror over the years. Rhinoplasty
is not a rejuvenation surgery because
it changes the appearance of the face
completely, while a face
lift or brow
lift only changes the face a little.
It can take many months for someone to
become accustomed to the sight of a new
nose. Plus, the nose changes further over
the course of the first year after your
surgery, so you cannot see the end result
until months later.
Be sure to visit
us for in-depth information on this
subject. You can discuss your revision
questions with Dr. Tavoussi as well as
real patients.
