One of the most common rhinoplasty side effects is a hematoma. The procedure can cause significant scarring, which may require additional surgery or even removal of the hematoma. One study investigated the effect of prosthesis transplantation in combination with autologous ear cartilage rhinoplasty. This study was published in the Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Medicine and was conducted by Ren SX and Song LC.
Although the procedure is generally safe and effective, ear cartilage grafts can lead to undesired growth. The surgeon must take into account the risks of cartilage warping. After harvesting the ear cartilage, it must be placed on an adequately vascularized bed. The size of the implanted cartilage should be limited to 1.5 cm. Some surgeons will apply postoperative cooling.
Some of the postoperative deformities can be prevented with appropriate surgical technique. Revision rates after rhinoplasty vary between 5% and 15%. These rates are not directly related to the frequency of deformities, but may be attributed to inexperienced surgeons or insufficient postoperative care. Nevertheless, the risk of postoperative deformities remains an unavoidable part of any rhinoplasty procedure.
Aside from these potential complications, a surgical complication can also be caused by an error during preoperative planning or operative technique. A surgeon should know all these possible complications before proceeding to surgery to minimize the risk. If a patient experiences an unsatisfactory result after surgery, a complication is considered a side effect. Only if the surgeon made a mistake during the selection process or during the operation itself, can a patient assume the procedure is at fault.
