rhinoplasty

Excess Scar Tissue After Rhinoplasty – Will It Be an Issue?

Rhinoplasty surgery can assist in changing the structure, size, and shape of your nose. For the right patient, this surgery can help them get the ‘perfect nose’ by removing scar tissue.

But as is the case with all other surgeries, rhinoplasty comes with one major drawback – the risk of developing a noticeable scar after completing the healing process!

Though surgeons rely on well-hidden incisions to perform this surgery, it does have a risk of leaving behind visible scar tissue.

The only way to ensure that you won’t have to worry about any scarring is to take all the necessary precautions.

What Causes Scar Tissue to Form After Surgery?

It’s practically impossible to undergo a successful surgery and not have to deal with some scar tissue. Whenever a surgeon makes an incision on your skin, your body begins generating scar tissue to assist it in healing the resulting wound.

The process leads to the formation of dense, fibrous connective tissue meant to assist in sealing the wound. You can think of this process as the body creating a natural band-aid to close the incision on your skin.

Luckily, it’s nothing to worry about. Once the body has formed this scar tissue, you can have it reshaped or remodeled by visiting a facial plastic surgeon. Skin specialists may also help with the remodeling.

In some rare situations, the body may produce too much scar tissue causing it to heal improperly.

When Will the Scar Tissue Begin Forming After Rhinoplasty?

Surgeons can perform rhinoplasty in two different ways:

I The Open Approach: Here, the surgeon gets to make a small, well-hidden incision inside your nose. The incision occurs in the area between your nostrils and the lower part of the nose. It’s a technique that provides better access to your nasal tip, including to the lower and middle third sections of your nose.

II. Closed Approach: Surgeons refer to it as the endonasal rhinoplasty. In this approach, the surgeon uses incisions that are exclusively inside your nostrils. They prefer this method as it doesn’t leave behind any visible incisions on the skin surface.

When the scar tissue begins to form, it starts at the location where the surgeon made these incisions. The scar tissue will only become noticeable to the naked eye if proper precautions aren’t taken to prevent its formation.

Patients who form scar tissue after rhinoplasty typically notice it in the area around their nasal tips. After undergoing this procedure, the area will often appear swollen for a few days. It’s recommended that you raise concerns about scarring beforehand.

Ensure to communicate these concerns to your plastic surgeon.

Is It Possible to Prevent the Formation of Scar Tissue?

Although scar tissue commonly occurs after surgery, there are a few things that you can do to prevent its formation. Recommended techniques include:

• Select an experienced plastic surgeon: The best way to prevent scarring after rhinoplasty is to consult with an experienced surgeon. You’ll want to work with an experienced, highly qualified, board-certified surgeon during your rhinoplasty.

• Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco products: Alcohol causes skin dehydration and promotes swelling and bleeding. On the other hand, nicotine constricts your blood vessels, leading to poor healing and scarring.

• Follow all the instructions issued by your plastic surgeon: The guidelines provided by your surgeon are meant to promote faster healing. Following these instructions to the latter will help you avoid any complications that may arise after surgery. It also ensures that you get to achieve the desired results much faster.

• Refrain from exerting yourself: Avoid participating in any activity that can cause your blood pressure levels to rise. Such activities are likely to contribute to the formation of unwanted scar tissue after rhinoplasty.

Treatment for Scar Tissue

There are steps you can take, with supervision from a doctor, to reduce scar tissue after rhinoplasty. Additionally, several medical procedures can assist in providing you with more favorable results.

Viable options include:

I. Corrective rhinoplasty: It refers to a corrective surgery that assists in removing scar tissues without causing any damage to your nasal structures.

II. Steroids: It involves using several carefully targeted corticosteroid injections to reduce the appearance of scar tissues.

Rhinoplasty to Remove Scars and Scar Tissue

Depending on the extent of the scar tissue, you may need to undergo corrective rhinoplasty. As its name suggests, this is a type of corrective surgery intended to remove scars or scar tissue formed after a surgical procedure.

Patients may need corrective rhinoplasty to eliminate excess scar tissue. Below are a few facts on removing stomp pads and how surgeons use them.

Can Patients Have Scar Tissue Removed?

Yes. A surgeon can remove the scar tissue from a past procedure using scar tissue surgery. The scar tissue generally forms in the area between your skin and cartilage. Too much scar tissue can affect the results obtained from a rhinoplasty.

During the corrective surgery, the surgeon will ensure that they don’t damage any blood supply. Their focus will be on removing subcutaneous tissue, scars, and any available fat.

Though scar tissue can regenerate, you don’t have to worry about this if the surgeon knows what they are doing. The surgeon can take additional precautions to reduce scarring after the corrective procedure.

An alternative is to use nasal glue for a few weeks after surgery to minimize the risks of scar tissue forming. As noted earlier, surgeons can also use corticosteroid injections to reduce scar tissue.

If the wound formed after surgery is too large, the steroids may fail to work, necessitating a corrective rhinoplasty. The surgeon will need to consult the patient before settling on a scar removal method.

Conclusion

For additional information on rhinoplasty and how to remove excess scar tissue, make sure to consult with an ENT specialist or an experienced plastic surgeon. The chosen specialist should have years of experience performing such procedures.

Ensure you request to see ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of their past patients. The results obtained from past procedures can give you a clue on what to expect when you go under the knife for your procedure.