What is revision rhinoplasty?
Revision rhinoplasty is an operation on a nose that has already been operated on. It corrects problems with the shape, such as a collapsed bridge, an over-reduced or twisted tip, or asymmetry, and problems with breathing.
Scar tissue and missing cartilage make it more complex than a first operation. New support is often built with cartilage grafts.
How is revision rhinoplasty performed?
An open approach is used in most cases. Cartilage is often needed to rebuild support. It is taken from the septum, the ear or a rib.
Notes and photographs from the previous operation help the planning. Send them before the online consultation if you have them.
- Review of the previous operation: reports, photos from before your first surgery and current photos from several angles.
- Video consultation: the surgeon explains what seems possible from the photos and what needs to be confirmed in person.
- Examination in Istanbul: the skin, the remaining cartilage, the scar tissue and the airway are checked.
- The operation under general anaesthesia, usually 3 to 5 hours, in most cases with an open approach.
- Rebuilding support: cartilage grafts from the septum, the ear or a rib are shaped to rebuild the bridge, the tip or the nasal valves.
- Breathing: the septum and turbinates are corrected in the same operation when they block the airway.
- One night in hospital, then rest at the hotel until the splint comes off after about 10 days.
Who is revision rhinoplasty for?
- Patients unhappy with the shape or breathing after a previous rhinoplasty.
- Usually at least 12 months after the last operation, when the tissues have settled.
- Patients who understand that a revision has more limits than a first operation.
When it may not be the right choice
- Patients less than about 12 months after their last nose operation, because the tissues are still settling.
- Patients who expect a revision to be as predictable as a first operation. Scar tissue and missing cartilage set limits.
- Very small differences that are only visible in close-up photos, where surgery may add more risk than benefit.
- Smokers who cannot stop, because healing is already slower after a previous operation.
Can breathing be treated in the same operation?
Often, yes. Breathing problems after a first rhinoplasty are common reasons for a revision: a collapsed nasal valve, a septum that is still deviated or enlarged turbinates.
As an ENT and head and neck surgeon, Dr. Delioğlu examines the airway as carefully as the shape. Grafts that rebuild the side walls of the nose can improve the shape and the airflow at the same time, as in a septorhinoplasty.
If breathing is your main problem, say so when you send your photos. The plan then starts from the airway.
How is the operation planned?
Planning takes longer. Reports and photos from the previous operation are useful, together with current photos from several angles.
At the examination the surgeon checks the skin, the remaining cartilage and the airway, and explains what can and cannot be changed. The stay in Istanbul is usually longer than for a first operation.
How much does revision rhinoplasty cost in Turkey?
Revision rhinoplasty in Turkey generally costs $5,000 to $8,500. It is the highest of the six nose operations, because it takes longer and often needs cartilage grafts.
Your exact price comes with your written plan after the photo review. It depends mostly on whether rib cartilage is needed. See the cost page for all six operations.
- Whether grafts can come from the septum or ear, or rib cartilage is needed.
- How much of the structure has to be rebuilt: the bridge, the tip, the side walls.
- Whether breathing is treated in the same operation.
- The length of the operation, the hospital and what your package includes.
General range in Turkey. Your exact price comes with your personal plan after the photo review, with hotel and transfers included where your package has them.
All prices and what is includedWhat is recovery like after revision rhinoplasty?
- Day 1
- Discharge from hospital. Rest at the hotel with the head raised.
- Day 10
- The splint and stitches are removed at the clinic.
- Weeks 2 to 3
- Most of the bruising has faded. Most patients return to desk work.
- Week 6
- Sport is usually allowed again after the surgeon’s check.
- Month 3
- Most of the visible swelling has gone. The tip is still settling.
- Months 6 to 12
- The remaining swelling, mostly at the tip, goes down slowly. The final shape develops over this period.
How long should I stay in Istanbul?
Plan 10 to 14 days in Istanbul. A revision needs a longer stay than a first operation, because the splint often stays on for about 10 days and the surgeon wants to see the nose once it is off.
After you fly home, follow-up continues online. Swelling lasts longer after a revision, so photos are reviewed over a longer period. Do not book the return flight before the plan is confirmed. If the surgeon asks you to stay a day or two longer for a check, the team helps you change the dates. The guide to rhinoplasty in Turkey covers the whole trip.
When will I see the final result?
Swelling lasts longer after a revision, because the tissues have been operated on before. The final shape is usually seen after twelve to eighteen months.
Online follow-up continues after you return home.
What are the risks, and how are they reduced?
A revision carries the same risks as a first rhinoplasty, with a few more because the nose has been operated on before. They are discussed openly at the consultation.
- Longer swelling: scar tissue holds swelling for longer. The final shape is usually seen after twelve to eighteen months.
- Skin healing: thin or scarred skin heals more slowly. The surgeon handles it with care and the plan takes the skin into account.
- Rib cartilage: a small scar on the chest and some soreness there for a few weeks. It is only used when the septum and ear do not give enough cartilage.
- Bleeding and infection: uncommon, reduced by stopping blood thinners, operating in a hospital and following the wound care instructions.
- Need for a further touch-up: the aim is to correct everything in one operation, but in complex cases a small touch-up can be needed later.
- Anaesthesia risks: assessed before surgery. An anaesthetist is with you throughout.
Medically reviewed by Op. Dr. Kemal Caner Delioğlu, ENT and head and neck surgeon ·
