Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty Surgery Risks and Complications in New York
What could go wrong?
All surgery carries some uncertainty and risk. When rhinoplasty is performed by a qualified Plastic Surgeon, complications are infrequent and usually minor. Still, individuals vary greatly in their anatomy, their physical reactions, and their healing abilities, and the outcome is never completely predictable.
Infection, as in any operation can occur but is thankfully quiet uncommon. Occasionally though, a "blind boil" type infection may occur on the skin of the nose. These can be quite uncomfortable and may take a week or so before they finally settle.
After your discharge from the hospital it is possible that you may experience a nosebleed. In the vast majority of times this bleeding ceases of its own accord following delicate application of pressure (see postoperative instructions). However, rarely it is necessary for medical intervention to stop difficult bleeding.
Irregularities of skin, bone or cartilage may occasionally appear following surgery. These may show up on the surface as slight depressions, dips of bumps. Although through conservative measures and time, most of these situations improve, additional surgery may be required for correction.
Following a rhinoplasty it is possible, but again quite rare, for a series of thread or spider type veins to occur. These are permanent. However, they can be treated effectively by laser.
It is also quite possible that surgery on a badly deviated or bent nose may not result in a perfectly straight, well-aligned nose. Many reasons may be responsible for this but it is conceivable, in particularly difficult situations, that two or more procedures may be required to remedy these noses. You will be advised at the consultation what the likelihood of this occurrence will be with you.
Overall however, there is a definite incidence of about 5% of patients who, along with their surgeon, feel that the shape of the nose at the end of 9-12 months is not quite what was intended. This happens more frequently in noses that have been the subject of severe nasal injury or previous nasal surgery. In these situations further procedures may be necessary to achieve correction. When secondary (from a previous operation) or revision surgery is carried out however, a higher incidence of complications and a higher degree of uncertainty with respect to the final results can be expected.