Shelly,
We definitely perform revision rhinoplasties. About 20% of the rhinoplasty surgery we perform is unfortunately on patients who had surgery elsewhere and for one reason or another do not have an optimal result. Rhinoplasty is probably the most challenging cosmetic facial procedure to perform and so it is extremely important to select a surgeon with extensive rhinoplasty experience for both primary and revision cases. Revision rhinoplasty is more difficult than primary rhinoplasty because of scarring in the nose and because the septum has often times been removed and so there is not a readily available source of cartilage. Often we need to harvest cartilage from either the ear or a portion of a rib to complete the procedure properly.
To answer your second question, we perform around 200-300 rhinoplasties and reconstructive nasal procedures per year. I’m not sure what the total over the years is, but we have extensive experience. Even with that experience, I still believe that each rhinoplasty procedure has its challenges and that it is the most intricate and therefore the most rewarding procedure I perform.
We have many rhinoplasty examples on our site. Please take some time to review the rhinoplasty section. We would love to hear from you in person and look forward to your call.
Ed Buckingham