Revision rhinoplasty in Turkey

Revision rhinoplasty in Turkey: what it is and who it is for

Revision rhinoplasty — also called secondary rhinoplasty or a second nose job — is an operation to correct the result of a previous nose surgery. Patients come to Turkey for it when the shape is not what was agreed, when the nose has become crooked or pinched as it healed, or when breathing became worse after the first operation. For the general guide to a first nose job, prices and the trip, see rhinoplasty in Turkey; this page covers only what is different about a revision.

A revision is harder than a first operation. The surgeon works through scar tissue, the cartilage that was removed the first time is no longer there, and the skin has already been lifted once. That is why a revision usually takes longer, more often needs cartilage from the ear or a rib, costs more and needs a longer stay. It is also why the choice of surgeon matters even more than for a primary rhinoplasty: you want someone who performs revisions regularly, not occasionally.

A free quote starts with your photos and, if you have them, the report of your first operation. A surgeon tells you what can realistically be improved before you decide anything.

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Common reasons for a second nose job

Most problems after a first rhinoplasty fall into a few groups. Naming yours precisely helps the surgeon plan and helps you judge whether a revision is worth it.

• Tip problems: a tip that is still bulbous, pinched, asymmetric, turned up too far or drooping. Tip problems are among the most frequent reasons for revision in published series.
• Bridge problems: a hump that was left or has returned, an irregularity that became visible when the swelling settled, or the opposite — a bridge taken down too far ("scooped" or "saddle" nose).
• Crooked nose: a deviation that was not fully corrected, or a nose that shifted while healing.
• Breathing problems: a collapsed nasal valve, a septum that is still deviated, or nostrils that pinch shut on breathing in. These are often corrected together with a septoplasty or turbinate reduction.
• Over-resection: too much cartilage or bone was removed, so the nose looks shrunken or the tip has lost support. This usually needs grafts to rebuild the structure.

Small irregularities can sometimes be treated without surgery: a minor dip can be filled with hyaluronic acid — see non-surgical nose correction — though filler in a previously operated nose needs particular care, because scar tissue changes the blood supply.

How long after rhinoplasty can I have a revision?

Surgeons generally wait at least 12 months after the first operation, and often longer for thick skin or when the first surgery was extensive. Plastic surgery societies such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons give the same advice: swelling, especially in the tip, takes a year or more to settle, and what looks like a problem at three months may improve on its own. Operating earlier also means working through immature, active scar tissue, which makes the result less predictable.

There are exceptions — a clear structural problem such as a collapsed valve that blocks breathing, or a displaced graft — where your surgeon may advise an earlier correction. Small touch-ups to the bridge are sometimes done earlier under local anaesthesia. If a clinic offers a full revision at three or four months without a clear reason, ask why.

Revision rhinoplasty cost in Turkey compared with the UK and US

A revision is priced individually, because the work varies from a small correction of the bridge to a complete rebuild with rib cartilage. For comparison, a primary rhinoplasty starts from €2,890 at the hospitals on our site. The figures below are approximate, collected from published clinic price ranges; your own price is confirmed in a written quote after a surgeon has reviewed your photos.

What makes a revision more expensive than a first nose job:

• Grafts: septal cartilage is often already used up, so ear cartilage or a piece of rib may be needed. Rib grafting adds operating time and a small incision on the chest.
• Operating time: three to five hours is common, against two to three for a primary rhinoplasty.
• Breathing surgery: valve grafts, septoplasty or turbinate work added to the cosmetic correction.
• Longer stay: usually 9–10 days in Turkey instead of 7.

The package contents, payment at the hospital and what to check in a written quote are the same as for a first operation and are explained on the main rhinoplasty page.

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Cartilage grafts: septum, ear or rib

Most revisions need extra material to rebuild support or fill a defect. Your own cartilage is preferred because it heals in and rarely becomes infected. Which source is used depends on how much is needed and what was used the first time.

A meta-analysis of rib cartilage in rhinoplasty published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery (2015) found warping in about 3 in 100 patients and infection, chest scarring and air around the lung (pneumothorax) each well under that. Synthetic implants such as silicone are used by some surgeons, but in a revision nose with scarred, thinner skin they carry a higher risk of infection and showing through, so most surgeons prefer your own cartilage.

Ask your surgeon before the operation which graft is planned, and whether a rib graft might be needed on the day — the price should say so.

How revision rhinoplasty is performed

Most revisions are done as an open rhinoplasty, through a small incision across the columella (often reusing the previous scar), because the surgeon needs to see what was done before. Small, isolated corrections can sometimes be made through a closed approach. The operation takes about three to five hours under general anaesthesia.

• Scar tissue is carefully released and the existing cartilage and bone are assessed.
• Missing support is rebuilt with grafts — spreader grafts along the bridge to open the airway and straighten the line, a strut or extension graft to support the tip, onlay grafts to fill dips.
• Residual humps or irregularities are smoothed; bones may be reshaped again with fine instruments or ultrasonic (piezo) tools.
• The skin is closed and an outer splint applied. If rib cartilage was taken, a small incision under the breast or chest crease is closed with stitches.

You usually stay one night in hospital, sometimes two after rib grafting.

Revision rhinoplasty recovery and how long to stay in Turkey

Plan 9–10 days in Turkey. The splint comes off after about 7–10 days, and the surgeon checks the nose before you fly. The general day-by-day plan is on the rhinoplasty page; what differs after a revision:

• More swelling, for longer: scarred skin drains less well. Expect visible swelling for several weeks and tip swelling for 12–18 months, sometimes up to two years.
• Chest discomfort after rib grafting: the chest incision often hurts more than the nose for the first one to two weeks, especially when coughing or laughing.
• Taping and injections: some surgeons ask you to tape the nose at night, and occasionally use small steroid injections later to control tip swelling in thick skin.
• Return to normal life: office work after about two weeks, light exercise after about four, contact sports and glasses on the bridge only when your surgeon allows — often after six to eight weeks.

Judge the result after at least a year, with photos in the same light and angles as before the operation.

Risks and realistic expectations

The general risks — bleeding, infection, anaesthesia — are similar to a first rhinoplasty and are described on the main page. What is specific to a revision:

• A further revision: reviews in the facial plastic surgery literature report that the chance of needing another correction is higher after a revision than after a primary rhinoplasty, because each operation adds scar tissue and leaves less material to work with.
• Skin limits: thin, scarred skin shows every irregularity; thick skin hides definition. Neither can be changed by surgery, and they set the limit of what is possible.
• Graft problems: warping, shifting or absorption of grafts, which may show as a curve or a dip months later.
• Numbness and stiffness: the tip often feels stiff and numb for months after structural grafting.

The aim of a revision is improvement, not perfection. A careful surgeon tells you plainly which of your concerns can be corrected, which only partly, and which not at all — and may advise against surgery if the expected gain is small.

Questions to ask before a revision rhinoplasty

The general criteria for choosing a surgeon and hospital are on the rhinoplasty page. For a revision, also ask:

• How many revisions do you perform each year, and can I see before-and-after photos of revisions with a problem like mine, at least a year after surgery?
• Which grafts do you expect to use, and is rib cartilage included in the price if it is needed?
• What exactly will improve — shape, breathing or both — and what will not change?
• What happens if a further correction is needed, and who pays for the trip?

Bring everything from your first operation: the operation report, any scans and photos from before the first surgery. They show what was removed and what can still be used. The surgeons on our site who perform rhinoplasty are listed above with their experience and reviews; you can also browse all doctors and hospitals.

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Hospitals with Plastic & Aesthetic Surgery in Turkey

Academic Hospital

Üsküdar, Istanbul

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Lokman Hekim Istanbul Hospital

Pendik, Istanbul

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