Could My Rhinoplasty Surgery Be Causing Skin Reactions?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Approximately two years ago I had a rhinoplasty surgery at your clinic and the results are amazing. I love the way my nose now looks. However, a few months after the surgery, the skin around my nose (in all of the spots that sinuses are located) started to become inflamed. Every few weeks the skin becomes inflamed and peels off. I’ve been seeing many different doctors repeatedly and it has left them all baffled. They’ve decided it’s not acne or allergies, have tried treating me for bacterial infections and viruses as well as ran blood work and determined I don’t have HSV. Could my nose/body have possibly healed incorrectly and be causing the issue?

 A: Thank you for your long-term followup. Having done many rhinoplasty procedures over the past 25 years, this is a postoperative development that I have never seen or heard of before. Problems in rhinoplasty healing, which is very rare due to the superb blood supply of the nose, affect the nasal skin directly…not off the nose to the sides. The fact that this developed months after the surgery also speaks to that it is not a nose healing issue as such problems would have developed right after surgery and appeared right on the nose. I wish I had a better answer for you that could solve your problem but I am like all the other doctors you have seen….baffled for an explanation as to the cause.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana