What to Look for in a Revision Rhinoplasty Specialist Near You

Revision Rhinoplasty surgery is extremely difficult, so it is critical that you select a specialist who has the training and experience to successfully perform the procedure.

Sadly, the primary reason patients are interested in having a Revision Rhinoplasty is because the first or primary rhinoplasty performed by another surgeon did not meet their goals. Patients complain that their nose droops or it is still crooked or they can’t breathe correctly or that the tip looks deformed. Here at Facial Plastic Surgery Associates, Dr. Russell Kridel is a triple board certified facial plastic surgeon who is recognized by other surgeons worldwide as the top Revision Rhinoplasty specialist.

We certainly would recommend that any patient seeking a Revision Rhinoplasty should have a consultation with Dr. Kridel. His patients are not only from the Houston area, but also from other states and other countries. And yes, he is that good.

Dr. Russell Kridel meets all of the criteria that he would recommend any patient seeking Revision Rhinoplasty to follow. If you can’t get to Houston, these criteria are an excellent guide.

First of all, select a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon. To become a board certified facial plastic surgeon, you are first board-certified as an Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgeon (commonly referred to as an ENT) and then you complete additional training, including a fellowship, and become board-certified in Facial Plastic Surgery. Because their training is so concentrated on areas from the neck and up, these surgeons know the anatomy in greater depth than a physician who may perform surgeries on other areas of your body. For example, because Dr. Kridel was once an Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgeon, he will make sure that your nose functions correctly as well as look good.

Be sure that your surgeon performs Revision Rhinoplasty frequently. It is ideal to have a surgeon who performs at least 12-20 Revision Rhinoplasties each year and another 15-25 primary rhinoplasty procedures on an annual basis. Revision Rhinoplasty is a very complex and challenging surgery that some surgeons won’t do, even if they do primary rhinoplasty surgery. Dr. Kridel has performed hundreds of Rhinoplasty and hundreds of Revision Rhinoplasty procedures over the years.

At your consultation, be sure to request to see examples of before and after photos of other patients who have had Revision Rhinoplasty done by the surgeon. You want to see the quality of results.

For example, this patient came to Dr. Kridel after having surgery elsewhere and was unhappy with her tip and the slope of her nose. You can see the dramatic improvement in the 4-month post operative profile photo after Revision Rhinoplasty surgery with Dr. Kridel.

Make sure your surgeon has published scientific journal articles and/or textbook chapters on Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty. To be published other physicians must review each submission to make sure that the contents of the article furthers the education of other surgeons on the procedure and that your results shown in the article meet the highest standards of success. Only the best of the best have articles accepted by peer-reviewed medical journals. However, be careful, there are many journals that are not scientific and will accept articles based on payment for placement. You may also want to know if the surgeon has been invited as a guest lecturer to specialty society sponsored Rhinoplasty courses. Again, the top facial plastic surgeons will get invited to speak at these courses because they have been chosen for the depth of their expertise. Dr. Kridel has published over 75 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and textbooks chapters on Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty techniques. He has been a guest lecturer at Rhinoplasty courses annually and is currently the co-course director for the annual AAFPRS Rhinoplasty course this year.

Find out if your surgeon is on the faculty of a medical school. These surgeons must meet strict criteria for specialty training, case experience and continued medical training. They are also responsible for helping train other surgeons so need to be at the top of their game. Dr. Kridel is a full clinical professor at University of Texas Health Science Center and Medical School Houston and is an assistant clinical professor at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Revision Rhinoplasty is particularly challenging because the anatomy inside the nose has been significantly altered from the first rhinoplasty (or in some cases, patients have had more than one prior rhinoplasty) so the surgeon doesn’t really know the condition of the structures and the tissue until they get inside the nose when they operate. So, you need to feel confident that the surgeon has the depth of experience and confidence to handle and solve any irregularity they may find.

Needless to say, no one wants to have Rhinoplasty more than once. But, if you need to have a Revision Rhinoplasty surgery, be sure to find the best of the best, like Dr. Russell Kridel in Houston.