Question:
How common is it for the nasal tip to droop years after having rhinoplasty? What can be done to prevent this and, if it happens, how is it corrected?
Answer:
It is quite common for the nasal tip to begin to droop as we get older. Like the rest of your face, the collagen in your nasal skin and cartilage begins to loosen and stretch and the nasal tip does not have the support it once had. Rhinoplasty weakens the normal support mechanisms of the nasal tip and drooping is often times more precipitous. If I find that the nasal tip is lacking in support at the time of rhinoplasty I will use a cartilage graft harvested from the nasal septum called a columella strut. The cartilage graft is placed in the nose during rhinoplasty to support the tip and prevent post operative nasal tip collapse. Correcting nasal tip drooping is similar to preventing the problem.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld