NYC Rhinoplasty Surgeon, Dr. Sam Rizk

Roughly 10-15 percent of rhinoplasty patients are dissatisfied with their primary rhinoplasty nationwide and seek revision rhinoplasty, also known as secondary rhinoplasty. But is it harmful to undergo multiple revision rhinoplasties? It depends on a number of factors.

First and foremost, it is important to note that it depends more on what was done in prior surgeries, and on factors specific to your anatomy, than it does on how many rhinoplasty procedures you have undergone. Factors that must be considered by you and your surgeon include the following:

• Integrity of the nasal skin
• Thickness of the skin (if you have naturally thin skin or if it’s thinner due to prior rhinoplasty procedures, the risk of undergoing additional procedures may be too high)
• How much cartilage was removed
• Whether you need skin grafting
• Amount of scar tissue
• Extent of deformities
• Psychological condition of the patient

Revision rhinoplasty is very technically challenging, so even one revision should not be taken lightly. For this reason, it is also imperative that you select a facial plastic surgeon specializing in revision rhinoplasty to perform any additional revisions.

Also, it is very important that you have realistic expectations. With each successive procedure, the odds of a successful outcome diminish. The only way to know for sure is to get an evaluation from a qualified revision rhinoplasty specialist.