Revision
Rhinoplasty

“What Is Revision Rhinoplasty?”


VIP’s revision rhinoplasty is a premium nose surgery to re-evaluate the nose shape and to alleviate previous functional problems. This surgery uses natural materials to prevent further side effects and tissue damages. Mainly, using 100% natural rib cartilage is highly recommended for the revision rhinoplasty. This is because most people who have problems from the primary rhinoplasty experienced foreign implant side effects and used up remaining septal cartilage already. As revision rhinoplasty is one of the most challenging plastic surgeries, it is important to fully discuss with the doctor to conceptualize the mutual goal.

Doctor’s Message


VIP Autologous Tissue Center - Revision Rhinoplasty
Foreign Implant Side Effects
Foreign Implant Side Effects
Deviation after Rhinoplasty
Deviation after Rhinoplasty


"Why is the revision rhinoplasty rate higher compared to other surgeries? Main reasons are due to side effects of foreign implants such as silicone and simply unsatisfied result. When undergoing a nose surgery, you should consider the long-term result after 10 years and 20 years, not only the short-term result."

Although many people consider a nose surgery as a simple surgery, the truth is that rhinoplasty is a very complex surgery that requires extensive skills and experiences to give the best results for patients. It is important for a doctor to discover the harmonized ratio for the individual patient as everyone has different features of the face that are suitable for an ideal nose shape.

Because revision rhinoplasty requires a higher level of technique compared to the primary nose surgery, finding an appropriate doctor may be difficult. The doctor should have credentials in nose surgery and performed thousands of revision surgeries. As a university professor, I have continuously practiced aesthetic rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, and reconstructive rhinoplasty such as cleft lip rhinoplasty for over 24 years now. At this moment, I still believe that the revision rhinoplasty is challenging as it requires advanced reconstructive techniques and full focus on the patient as an individual case has different medical records from the previous surgeries.

Most importantly, the doctor who can give you the right advice at the right time is critical for your safety and aesthetic satisfaction. Find the true doctor who can recommend you the most necessary surgeries for you to minimize side effects and maintain your natural beauty. The best time to undergo revision rhinoplasty is after 1 year, but 6 months could be allowed depending on your condition. Not only the reviews and before&after photos are important to choose the clinic, but also a communication with the doctor is essential. Ask the doctor how he/she will perform your surgery, what type of material will be used, and ask about potential side effects as well. Ask about the post-care service the clinic provides as post-care greatly determines the result. Revision rhinoplasty could be a tedious journey but once you find a doctor who you can thoroughly communicate and search a mutual goal together, it is definitely feasible to have a successful result.

Operation Information


  • Surgery Time:     Varies
  • Anesthesia Type:     IV Sedation or General Anesthesia
  • Hospitalization:     0-1 Day
  • Stitch Removal:     7-10 Days
  • Recovery Time:     10 Days

13 Side Effects that Immediately Require Revision Rhinoplasty


Foreign implant side effect
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Foreign implant side effect)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

When a foreign implant such as silicone is placed in the nasal tip, the skin gets thinner, so the side effect results. Ear cartilage also could result in side effects when placed in the nasal tip. Therefore, the structural cartilage, which establishes the structure of the nasal tip, could provide a natural result. Such conceptualized premium rhinoplasty is called the autologous tissue rhinoplasty.

Flushed Nasal Tip
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Foreign implant side effect)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

The silicone inserted into the end of the nasal tip irritates the skin resulting in redness and the skin presses the silicone whereby the silicone shows. Therefore, the nasal tip must be constructed by the autologous cartilage, so as to minimize the problems and to appear natural.

Deviated Nose Deformity
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Deviation)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

When the inserted silicone is bent inside the nose, it is because the septal cartilage inside the nose was originally deviated and could not support the structure of the nose. If the silicone is inserted without the revision of bent structure, asymmetry will occur based on the bent shape. Therefore, it is important to identify whether a septal deviation exists when planning for nose surgery. If the nasal septum deviates, it is necessary to first revise the bent nasal septum to set up a stable nose structure and then augment the nose. The septal deviation rhinoplasty is highly recommended for these cases.

Nose with Silicone Line
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Deformity)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

The silicone inserted to the nose tip shows the deformity; the skin gets thinner as time passes by. As the nasal tip is established by the silicone, the skin gets flushed. The newly conceptualized autologous tissue plastic surgery prevents such obvious appearance and creates a natural looking nose.

Stubby Nose
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Stubby Nose)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

Using the AlloDerm without a structural change of the nose despite its wideness may result in a stubby nose without a two-pointed peak. Therefore, to make a beautiful nose tip, the skin must be thin and the shape of the structural cartilage must be small and protrusive. Thus, a structural nose surgery using autologous tissues is necessary.

Upturned nose
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Upturned Nose)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

When the contraction occurs due to the implant, the nose becomes severely turned up and the nostrils are more visible. In serious cases, it is necessary to first ensure the length and the structure, and then the height using an autologous tissue.

Droopy nose
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Droopy Nose)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

Generally, the droopy nose cannot be improved by inserting silicone on the bridge and the tip, because the cartilage that supports the nose tip is weak and already tilted to the front. It is necessary to support the front of the nose tip with autologous tissue to elevate the droopy tip.

Asymmetric nostrils
Revision Rhinoplasty Before and After(Asymmetric Nostrills)
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

The septal cartilage centered inside the nose plays an important role in making the nostrils symmetrical. In the case of nasal septal deviation or bent septum due to a trauma, it is necessary to improve the nasal septal deviation prior to the nose augmentation procedure.

Protruded mouth due to mid-face retrusion
Protruded Mouth Due to Mid-Face Retrusion Before and After
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

Many Asians have a dented alar base, narrow nasolabial angle, and mouth protrusion. For such people, just augmenting the nose bridge without the improvement of a depressed area and the nasolabial angle makes the nose appear unnatural. Thus, leading to frequent revision surgeries. It is necessary to support a strong structure and then widen the nasolabial angle with VIP’s mid-face augmentation. With these surgeries combined (Harmony Rhinoplasty), the mouth appears to be retruded and the chin looks smaller resulting in a natural and balanced image.

Columella retruded nose
Columella Retruded Nose Before and After
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

Columella is the part that supports in between the nostrils. If the septal cartilage is short, the columella looks retruded. Therefore, it is necessary to graft the cartilage in between the nasolabial angle to bring out the retruded columella.

Right-angled nose
Right-Angled Nose Before and After
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

The ideal angle from the columella to the nasal tip is not 90°, but 30°- 45°. This can occur when the silicone or the cartilage is placed forward in a short nose.

Deformation due to inflammation
Deformation Due to Inflammation Before and After
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

When there is an infection on the implant such as silicone or Gore-Tex, contraction can occur and the nose will deform. The shorter the nose is, the more serious the deformation is. In this case, the autologous tissue is used to rebuild the nose structure.

Injection side effects
Injection Side Effects Before and After
* Side effects such as inflammation after the surgery may vary by each individuals and may require appropriate treatments. Please check the guideline with the doctor.

When silicone is injected into the face including the nose, in long term, the skin gets flushed, the tumor grows abnormally, and skin necrosis can occur if serious. Removing illegal injection is the most difficult matter to treat.
In this case, the treatment removes the leftover injection and tumor; then uses an autologous tissue to make the structure of the nose with augmentation.

5 Reasons for Increase in Revision Rhinoplasty


01    Rhinoplasty has been popular since the 60-70’s. It is the most wanted plastic surgery after eyelid surgery. In the beginning, non-qualified and non-medical specialists performed silicone injection, paraffin, and Vaseline, which destroyed the nasal tissue and developed a granuloma. These symptoms usually occur after several years, which increased the number of revision surgeries.

02    Another main reason is that the silicone implants were inserted to the end of the nasal tip. Implant insertion often results in inflammation, outer protrusion, distortion and skin thinness. All these problems become noticeable as time goes by, which led to the increase in revision surgery. Therefore, it is important to insert a silicone implant for a partial use in the nasal bridge. It is not recommended to insert from beginning to the tip.

03    Recently, the “AlloDerm” is used for nasal tip surgery in many cases. However, human skin is not strong enough to resist AlloDerm and cannot make a strong form while maintaining the structure. Therefore, there are numerous cases that require revision surgeries since the nasal tip became bulbous by using the AlloDerm to augment the nose. However, the AlloDerm is good for the purpose of thickening the skin.

04    There are many cases in Asian nose that the structure is not built well with odd ratio and angle. Also, the structure itself is very weak in many cases. In such condition, the existing procedure prefers only to insert an implant into the flat structure rather than setting up the right structure or strengthening the weak structure. This procedure conceals the deformed part rather than improving it. Because of this passive method (camouflage method), even after the procedure, the structural problem still remains. Also because of passive treatment, contraction (scarring inside the nose) occurs and structure gets deformed. Therefore, previous passive surgeries lead to constant revision surgeries.

05    To evaluate the shape of the nose after the surgery, it requires certain period since the tissue needs to be mature over time. It is common for patients to decide hastily on revision surgery and thus result in problems.

Ideal Candidates for Revision Rhinoplasty


01    People who are not satisfied with the previous rhinoplasty nose shape

02    People with an upturned nose (Due to failure of rhinoplasty or infection/contraction from foreign implants)

03    People with a pinched nose

04    People with foreign implant transparency

05    People who have a moving foreign implant

06    People with a deviated nose

07    People with a skin redness

08    People who desire to achieve a natural result and shape

Exclusive VIP Revision Rhinoplasty Methods


Revision nose surgery using 100% natural rib cartilage alleviates functional and aesthetic problems such as reddening, infection, deviation, collapsing, sinusitis, and unnatural appearance.

01)  Ear Compositive Reconstructive Surgery When the nose is severely damaged, reconstructive rhinoplasty is required. As the patient undergoes multiple surgeries, there is a limited amount of skin and tissues to be stretched and utilized during the surgery that limits surgeon's performance. Ear compositive is a specialized reconstructive surgery that only a few surgeons can perform. Dr.Lee Myung Ju harvests ear cartilage, tissue, and skin collectively and performs ear compositive to maximize the patient's nose condition.

02)  Dermis Graft When the skin of the nose bridge is severely thin or when there is not enough soft tissue, the dermis is used to fill up under the nose bridge. The dermis is extracted from the hip, and it is slightly uncomfortable to manage the wound after the graft. Since dermis gets absorbed very easily, it is not expected to use for nose augmentation but mainly used for insufficient thickness of the skin. There is a tendency to have a slightly bulbous tip after the surgery.

03)  Fascia Graft When the skin of the nose bridge is very thin, fascia, which is skin inside the head, is used to supplement the skin. When augmenting the nasal bridge by only the fascia, 2-3 multi-layered fascia is used to augment slightly within 1-2mm. For augmentation over 2mm, fascia covers either the cartilage or implant to thicken the skin and prevent the indication of insertion.

Post-operative Care


01    Continously apply an ice pack for four days after the surgery.

02    Use a high-level pillow for five days after the surgery.

03    Avoid any physical activities for two weeks after the surgery.

04    Avoid intense physical activities for eight weeks after the surgery.

FAQ


Ultimately, the result depends on the state of your nose. In some rare cases, Dr.Lee might not be able to do a revision for you due to possible risks and limitations. The more surgeries you have, the more limitations the Doctor faces as the tissues of the nose become stiffer and more difficult to adjust.
We recommend receiving a revision rhinoplasty 1 year after your previous surgery. After receiving a rhinoplasty, it usually takes 6 months to 1 year to see the final result, and therefore receiving a revision rhinoplasty before tissues heal may not yield the best result. When you are less than 1 year post-operation, your surgery results are still in recovery and may keep changing. Therefore, it is quite difficult for Dr.Lee to give any recommendations unless you have stable final results.
Unfortunately, the recommendation that we can make for you now might not be the same once you are fully healed. Once the swelling is fully gone, and your recovery is completed, your nose might have a different shape. Therefore, the doctor's recommendations may change over time. We hope you will get back to us one year after the surgery and we will be glad to provide you with the consultation.
Dr.Lee will be harvesting new cartilage for the rhinoplasty. He does not use old cartilage as he is unsure of the condition and may be more challenging to create a shape than a newly harvested cartilage.
You need to wait for at least one year. Most of the time, your tissues should be healed after one year and will be safe to have a revision.

Contact Us

If you would like to receive VIP doctor's comments regarding your interested treatment or surgeries, feel free to contact us via mobile messenger app. Please let us know your interested areas with clear photos (front and side) for a free online consultation. Your photos will be privately used for consultation purposes only.

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+82 10 5059 6626

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