Question: My rhinoplasty involved ear cartilage grafting to the bridge but it looks way too big now. I’ve waited a year and I don’t think the swelling is to blame. What can be done to fix this and how difficult of a procedure would this be?
Answer: At one year, swelling following a rhinoplasty will have resolved and it would be reasonable to consider revision surgery at that time. Cartilage is placed on the bridge of the nose for several different reasons, and if a large amount of cartilage is needed, sometimes borrowing ear cartilage is required. The amount of cartilage graft placed if difficult to predict, because not all of the grafted cartilage will last. Therefore, sometimes extra cartilage is placed to compensate for this. Removal of the excess cartilage will require revision rhinoplasty, but the procedure may not be as extensive as the original surgery. There will be scar tissue from the previous rhinoplasty, however, which can be challenging. For these reasons, it is important to be evaluated by an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon.