What is a Complication?
A cosmetic surgery complication is an unanticipated problem that arises following surgery. This may be a medical complication or a cosmetic complication. While some complications like bleeding or infection can occur with any type of surgery, some complications are specific to rhinoplasty.
Complications are an expected part of surgery. Most surgeons expect that 10% of patients will have some sort of cosmetic complication after rhinoplasty. These are usually minor and can often be corrected with revision surgery. Surgeons also expect that a small percentage of patients (less than 1%) will experience a medical complication of rhinoplasty, such as bleeding or infection.
The discussion of cosmetic complications is often overlooked during rhinoplasty consultations. Patients are often more concerned about the extremely slim chance of a medical complication when in reality cosmetic complications are more common.
It is your surgeon's responsibility to educate you on the possible cosmetic risks of your surgery during your pre operative consultation. The risks specific to you will depend your nasal and facial features, including your skin thickness and cartilage quality.
