Am I A Good Candidate For Rhinoplasty If I Have Thick Skin?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in thick skin rhinoplasty. I had a consultation that wasn’t successful as he said he was unsure of how the result would come out due to some thick skin. My nostrils are also small and collapse in when I breathe in deep.

A:There are lots of rhinoplasty patients that have thick skin which does not preclude them from having surgery. One just has to acknowledge that there are limitations as to how much nose reduction/reshaping can occur, that postoperative steroid injections may be needed and that it can take up to a year after surgery to see the very final result. With nostril collapse on inspiration this indicates that your rhinoplasty would need batten cartilages grafts or turnover alar rim grafts to support the lateral ala as part of your procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana