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Are There Risks in Rhinoplasty Surgery?

Apr 15, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Oct 3

Everyone considering a rhinoplasty naturally looks into both the surgical process itself and the surgeons who perform it. Among the questions people search for most often is whether rhinoplasty surgery carries any risks. In this week's blog post from Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic, we build our discussion around exactly that question.

What Are the Risks in Rhinoplasty Surgery?

As with any operation, rhinoplasty carries certain risks. How significant those risks are depends on the individual, the type of procedure and a range of other factors. At the same time, careful pre-operative assessment, attentive patient behaviour and related precautions can go a long way toward reducing them. In this section we will cover what factors can create risk in rhinoplasty and what can be done to minimise them, and further down we answer, in a question-and-answer format, whether certain chronic conditions carry additional risk for rhinoplasty patients.

1. Risk Varies With the Scope and Type of Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is not a single, uniform procedure. Thick-skinned and thin-skinned rhinoplasty, for instance, are approached quite differently in practice, and the precautions needed before, during and after surgery change accordingly. Depending on the scope and type of the operation, both the surgeon and the patient have their own share of precautions to take, and the right care at each stage helps keep risk to a minimum. Rhinoplasty is broadly divided into closed and open technique, and the choice between them is one of the biggest factors in whether visible scarring is a concern afterward: because the closed technique involves no incision on the outside of the nose, it carries no risk of external scarring. Turbinate surgery, nasal bone work and cartilage work each carry their own, somewhat different risk profile as well, since the scope of each procedure is different.

2. Age Affects the Risk of Rhinoplasty

The risks involved in rhinoplasty differ markedly between someone under 18 and someone over 18. Growth continues, on average, until around 17 to 18 years of age, with a year or two of variation between women and men. Operating on someone still below that threshold brings both psychological and physical risks, so for this age group rhinoplasty is generally only appropriate in cases such as a fracture or other trauma. Performing the surgery within the right age range removes the age-related component of rhinoplasty risk.

3. Pre-Operative Tests Are Designed to Reduce the Risk of Rhinoplasty

Before every rhinoplasty, the surgeon carries out a series of tests aimed at lowering the overall risk of the procedure. The results of the examination, together with the patient's own wishes, are used to plan the most suitable operation for that individual, so every surgical plan is shaped by the patient's test results and expectations. In this respect, the pre-operative work-up exists specifically to remove risk from rhinoplasty surgery.

4. The Patient's Own Effort Also Helps Reduce Risk

Lowering the risk of rhinoplasty is not only the surgeon's responsibility — the patient has a role to play too. As mentioned, a thorough examination takes place before surgery, and based on its results the patient is told what to watch for both before and after the operation. For example, smoking and alcohol should be stopped at least six months before rhinoplasty; skipping this will extend the healing time. Following everything your surgeon tells you closely will help keep the risks of rhinoplasty to a minimum.

In short, rhinoplasty does carry some risk, but in most cases that risk can be reduced substantially through the combined efforts of the surgeon and the patient. For people without any major genetic or chronic conditions, there is generally nothing about the risks of rhinoplasty that needs to cause serious concern.

Which Health Conditions Are a Concern for Rhinoplasty?

So far we have covered what can create risk in rhinoplasty for people without major genetic or chronic conditions, and how those risks are generally addressed. Now we turn to whether rhinoplasty carries added risk for people living with a chronic condition such as heart disease, diabetes or epilepsy. We answer these in a question-and-answer format below.

1) Can Someone With Heart Disease Have Rhinoplasty?

Heart disease does not rule out rhinoplasty. It is not the case that patients with heart conditions cannot be given anesthesia — rather, patients with cardiovascular disease are simply managed with a different anesthesia protocol. What to watch for before and after surgery also differs for these patients, and your surgeon will carry out the necessary tests and explain all of this beforehand.

2) Can Someone With Diabetes Have Rhinoplasty?

There is no rule against diabetic patients having rhinoplasty, though they are at somewhat more of a disadvantage than patients without diabetes in a few respects: wounds tend to heal more slowly, and patients are more prone to infection. Your surgeon will explain these considerations and take the appropriate precautions. We generally recommend that diabetic patients have their rhinoplasty performed with the closed technique.

3) Can Someone With Epilepsy Have Rhinoplasty?

It is impossible to predict exactly when or where an epilepsy patient might have a seizure. On its own, epilepsy is not a barrier to surgery or anesthesia, but the stress and excitement of an operation can trigger a seizure, which can put the patient's life at risk. For this reason, unless the surgery is essential, we generally do not recommend it for patients with epilepsy.

4) Can Someone With Asthma Have Rhinoplasty?

Asthma is a condition in which the airways become overly sensitive to environmental triggers. The airways and the mucous membrane lining them can swell, and that swelling can periodically restrict airflow and cause breathing difficulty — episodes known as asthma attacks. Because rhinoplasty is performed under general anesthesia, the stress and excitement of the procedure, or any number of other triggers, can bring one on, again putting the patient's life at risk. These are risks that cannot simply be dismissed, so here too we do not recommend elective surgery for asthma patients unless it is essential.

Is There a Risk of Death in Rhinoplasty?


We have come to the end of this blog post from Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic on the risks of rhinoplasty surgery. Throughout the article we have tried to cover the situations that can create risk in rhinoplasty and what can be done to reduce them. For more on revision rates and which conditions doctors consider unsafe for surgery, see our guide to rhinoplasty risks and safety. If you would like more information on rhinoplasty, we would like to remind you that you can reach us on +90 532 056 3693, and we wish you good health.

Core Rhinoplasty Guides From Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas

 
 
 

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