No matter how experienced a surgeon is, 10% of patients undergoing rhinoplasty require a second surgery. Revision surgery might be needed when cosmetic outcome is not satisfactory or when there are functional problems. In order to minimize the rate of revision, a meticulous preoperative evaluation and appropriate surgical technique are essential.

If a second operation is performed by the surgeon who performed the first one, it is called a 'revision' surgery. These surgeries are generally not as extensive as the first one. If the second operation is performed by another surgeon, the term should be ‘secondary rhinoplasty’, ‘tertiary rhinoplasty’ for the third operation, and so on. In case cartilage is required for grafting, generally nasal septum is not sufficient due to prior operation, therefore rib cartilage or ear cartilage can be harvested.

A candidate for revision surgery, or secondary surgery should be evaluated in details, the surgeon and the patient have to understand each other very well. As the number of surgeries increases, the risks may also increase. A very important factor for success is surgeon’s experience.

If the patient's expectations are reasonable and the nose is suitable for a second surgery, revision rhinoplasty can yield good results.