6 Months After My Final Revision Rhinoplasty for Contracted Nose
본문
I’m now over 6 months post-op from my contracted nose revision surgery.
My first rhinoplasty was back in the 1990s—silicone with ear cartilage.
About 10 years after that, I had a revision using autologous rib cartilage.
But from that point on, my nose gradually started to deviate.
I went in for a minor correction thinking it was just an alignment issue,
but even after that, the deviation didn’t resolve.
So I had another revision at a different clinic.
Looking back, I wonder if these multiple surgeries contributed to inflammation.
My nose began to lift and shorten—
it felt like everything was being pulled upward, and deformation began.
Eventually, I had everything removed—implant and cartilage alike—
and spent a long time with a sense of loss.
I thought once the foreign materials were out,
my nose would return to its original form,
but that wasn’t the case at all.
From the front, my nose looked wider than before,
and my columella and tip felt extremely shrunken and compressed.
Still, I told myself that I brought this upon myself
by rushing into repeated surgeries,
so I left it alone for a long time.
When I finally felt ready to try again,
I searched for a few clinics that resonated with me.
This time, with age and experience,
I found myself evaluating clinics with a different mindset.
I told myself, “This time will be different,”
and decided to entrust Dr. Hyun Joo Kim at RU Plastic Surgery
with what I hoped would be my final revision for contracted nose.
We opted to harvest rib cartilage again
and use only my own autologous rib to reconstruct both the tip and bridge.
Before surgery, I also underwent stem cell therapy
to improve the condition of my skin and nasal tissue.
Once things improved, we proceeded with surgery.
Compared to my past rib harvest, the pain this time was much less—
perhaps thanks to improved techniques.
Oddly enough, the scalp fascia donor site hurt more and
was more difficult to manage than the rib donor area.
As for the nose itself—it felt stiff and uncomfortable,
but not painful per se.
Now that I reflect on it—
if you asked whether I’d do it again,
I’d say yes—but only at RU Plastic Surgery.
It was the most expensive option among all the clinics I consulted,
but the results made it worth it.
From the side view, even when the cast first came off,
the improvement was very noticeable.
From the front, though, there was a lingering bloated look
that took a while to resolve.
Now that I’ve passed the 6-month mark,
most of the swelling seems to have subsided.
Since I've been told that the final shape continues to settle over a longer period,
I’m looking forward to seeing even more refinement with time.
