Pollybeak Deformity After Rhinoplasty – Symptoms, Causes, And Treatments

A pollybeak nose happens when the area above the nasal tip becomes overly full, making the nose resemble a bird’s beak. It usually results from excess tissue or cartilage left behind after rhinoplasty. Though rhinoplasty is a safe procedure, sometimes, due to the effects from a previous rhinoplasty, poor healing, and surgical errors, it can lead to pollybeak deformity after rhinoplasty.  

You can prevent this complication in the first place by taking some precautions. If you got it, then don’t worry, we’ll tell you about some surgical treatments like revision rhinoplasty, and non-surgical treatments like dermal fillers and steroid injections.

What Is a Pollybeak Deformity Nose?

Pollybeak deformity, also known as supratip nose deformity nose is a condition where the upper part of the nose becomes round and droopy after rhinoplasty surgery. This can affect both appearance and breathing if not addressed properly.

. It’s the fullness or the convexity above the tip of your nose that gives it a parrot-beak-like appearance.

The most common symptoms include convexity or the fullness above the tip of your nose. Your nose seems rounded, droopy, and not in the definition as it had to be. Besides that, snoring, difficulty breathing, and nasal congestion are also signs of Pollybeak deformity.

The beak-like nose issue can happen due to the aggressive cartilage insertion and removal approach, excessive formation of soft tissue on the supratip, poor healing, and the development of scar tissue complications.

The inexperienced surgeons who don’t know the anatomy of the nose, like how it will recover and what techniques are the best based on the individual nasal structure, can lead to the beak nose deformity.

Pollybeak After Rhinoplasty

Pollybeak deformity can appear a few months after rhinoplasty as healing progresses. It depends on surgical methods, tissue response, and individual healing factors.

Pollybeak Deformity or Swelling?

Swelling after rhinoplasty can mimic pollybeak deformity, especially in the first few months. If the fullness doesn’t go down after a year, it may actually be a pollybeak issue that needs correction.

Swelling above the nasal tip is common after the surgery. Some patients mistake it for Pollybeak, which isn’t always the case. The swelling after the surgery lasts up to a year. So, don’t worry about the beak-like nose until that time.

Different non-surgical treatments like dermal fillers, steroid injections, and surgical ones like revision therapy are available. What suits you the best depends on the severity and your circumstances.

When Does It Appear? 

It depends on the type of rhinoplasty, the surgical methods used, and the recovery traits. Sometimes it starts appearing just 1 to 2 months after the surgery. Sometimes it can take 3 to 6 months.

Pollybeak Deformity After Rhinoplasty

These are the common causes of Pollybeak deformity after rhinoplasty.

• Excess cartilage is left just above the tip of the nose.
• Excess scar tissue forms during the healing process.
• Not enough support for the nasal tip, causing it to drop.
• Over-reduction of the nasal bridge, making the area above the tip look fuller.
• Poor surgical technique or uneven shaping.
• Swelling that doesn’t fully go down over time.
• The tip drooped after surgery due to a weak structure or support.

Main Types Of Beak Nose Deformity

These are the 2 main types of the Beak-like nose:

Soft Tissue Pollybeak Deformity

When extra soft tissue builds up on the tip of the nose, it can make that area look fuller and droopy, giving the nose a bird-like shape. 

Usually, the underlying structure is still fine, and it’s just the tissue on top that affects the shape. Sometimes, it goes away by itself with time, but getting steroids or touch-ups can speed up the process.

Cartilaginous Pollybeak Deformity

This kind of deformity often happens when too much cartilage is left on the tip of the nose during surgery, causing a bump that makes the nose look beak-shaped. It also happens when they don’t reduce the cartilage size enough or when it gets shifted during the process.

Treatments For Pollybeak Deformity

It depends on the patient’s circumstances, severity, and type of the pollybeak. If it’s because of the cartilage, revision rhinoplasty is needed to reshape the nose.

However, if it’s just because of the soft tissue building, the non-surgical treatments, steroid injections, or dermal fillers may help.

Revision Therapy

When removal, insertion, or misplacement of cartilage causes the beak nose, revision therapy may be needed. 

It’s a type of rhinoplasty that is done when the prior rhinoplasty leaves some issues.  General anaesthesia is used in this procedure, and it can take from 1 to 3 hours. Full recovery from this surgery can take 3 to 6 months, while the bruising and swelling last only 1 to 2 weeks and then go away.

Like every rhinoplasty surgery, it also carries some risks, including infections, loss of skin elasticity, scarring, and difficulty breathing.

Steroid Injection

It’s a non-surgical treatment used when the soft tissue causes nasal deformity. Steroid injections like corticosteroids are inserted into your supratip to reduce the inflammation and also the extra soft tissue. You may have to take multiple sessions to get the desired shape.

Derma Fillers

Derma filler, also known as the liquid nose job, helps in blending the beak appearance with your overall nose by adding fillers. The fillers are substances injected into your nose to match the fullness of your nose so that it looks good.

Get The Expert Advice| Vetted Surgeons At Asli Tarcan Clinic

Pollybeak deformity is a complication that happens after rhinoplasty. Its symptoms include excessive fullness above your nasal tip that gives your nose a rounded and droopy appearance. 

The causes of it are poor healing, excessive soft tissue buildup, aggressive cartilage insertion and removal approach, unexpected scar tissues, and the development of scar issues. 

There are mainly 2 types of pollybeak deformity after rhinoplasty: soft tissue, which you can cure with non-surgical treatments like derma fillers and steroid injections. The second one is cartilage, which requires revision rhinoplasty available at  Asli Tarcan Clinic in Turkey.

We have skilled surgeons with knowledge of the anatomy of the nose, equipped with years of experience and next-gen facilities to safely perform your procedure. Call us today.

What is a pollybeak deformity after rhinoplasty?

Pollybeak deformity is when the area above the tip of your nose looks too full or rounded after rhinoplasty, kind of like a parrot’s beak.

How do you fix Pollybeak deformity?

It’s fixed by trimming the extra cartilage or tissue through revision surgery to smooth out the nasal shape.

How long will I look piggy after rhinoplasty?

That piggy look is normal early on and usually fades within a few weeks as the swelling settles down.