Is The Bump On My Nose After Rhinoplasty Just Swelling?

Q:  It has been 2 months since my rhinoplasty. Everything is going down very nicely. I had my bump removed and narrowed and my tip raised a little. I had a droopy profile. Sometimes when I look at my profile I see a slight hump still when I smile. That is driving me crazy, not so much on my right side but my left side. When it gets down to the tip, it goes in slightly and goes up the tip very little. My question is I was very swollen when cast was taken off. My nose was taped right away and the tip of my nose is still swollen. Could it be that this slight hump is still swollen and when the swelling comes down so will the hump and the swelling in the tip the swelling on both sides of my nose went down dramatically but I’m just concerned about the profile.  Thank you.

A: One of the hardest things in undergoing rhinoplasty is to have patience. The shape and appearance of the nose can take months to fully appear after surgery. Final results in most cases can not be fully judged for up to one year after surgery. I believe you have answered your own question already. While some swelling has gone down, it is far from being completely resolved. Whether your dorsum and the pre-existing hump will be completely gone is not yet known. If you feel that there is still some tip swelling (which there undoubtably is), then there is still some dorsal swelling which may account for a pseudohump appearance. Don’t get out the critical eye until 6 months after surgery. If the hump is still there, then it is no longer just swelling and revisional rhinoplasty may be considered.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana