Revision/Reconstructive Rhinoplasty

This surgery is performed to address breathing difficulties through the nose and nose deformities following a previous surgery (rhinoplasty), which has failed to correct these problems or incorrectly performed surgery that has actually caused or worsened the problem.

There are various reasons why revision rhinoplasty is more complex-

The first reason is that in almost all cases there will have been removal of cartilage from the septum from the first surgery. This often results in not enough cartilage from within the nose to allow the nose to be reconstructed. This cartilage must be replaced. This requires taking cartilage from your rib or your ear. The second issue is scarring of the nose that makes the surgery more technically difficult and can result in further excessive scarring during the healing process. The third problem is the poorer blood supply, which makes healing more unpredictable and can result in reabsorption of cartilage grafts placed in the nose. All these factors make revision surgery more complex and the healing process more liable to variation. With each subsequent surgery it become more difficult to achieve a good outcome from surgery.

Courtesy of Dr Faris and Dr Syme-Grant

Congenital deformity, the nose had failed to grow properly during childhood. 2 prior Rhinoplasty procedures performed by another surgeon had failed correct the small size of the nose. The nose was reconstructed with bone and cartilage from the rib in one operation. Note - patient has good nasal breathing following surgery.