Is Revisional Rhinoplasty Worth It?

Q:  I am interested in getting a revisional rhinoplasty but honestly this is a difficult decision. Overall I’m not eager to go through the whole process again.  I’m trying to determine if my gain in appearance is worth putting myself through it again.   I’m 43 years old now and somewhat concerned about my body healing as quickly or as well. As a side note, I am in good physical condition for my age as I do lots of exercise.  I figure if I’m going to do anything more with respect to my appearance, now is the time.  I may be having a bit of a mid-life crisis I suspect. I do have an appointment to see about Botox/filler/collagen and/or fraxel laser treatment in attempt to back-off the aging process which is now in full-swing.

A: It is always a difficult decision as to whether to revise a rhinoplasty or not. Having experienced the recovery once gives one pause to really assess the the benefit:risk ratio for round two. Given the fact that your rhinoplasty result may be very reasonable (no major complications or deformity) and you are shooting for a more advanced aesthetic outcome also makes one ponder it carefully. In the end, the appeal of the potential benefits has to outweigh the understandable disdain for the process to get there.

One potential advantage of a revisional rhinoplasty, besides that of the nose, is whether there are any other facial procedures that could be combined with it. These might include fat injections for fillers or any type of laser skin resurfacing. This is what I call an opportunity factor given that being in the operating room under anesthesia is a very rare occurrence.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana