Effect of Nasal Skin Type on Skin Problems following Rhinoplasty

Skin problems following rhinoplasty may cause dissatisfaction concerning the esthetic expectations of the patients. This study was conducted to determine whether nasal skin type has an effect on skin problems after rhinoplasty. Thirty-five patients undergoing rhinoplasty in our tertiary referral center between May 2018 and August 2019 were included in the study. The nasal skin sebum level was measured with Sebumeter preoperatively and patients were divided into two groups according to the median sebum level. Among the 35 patients, half of them with higher nasal skin sebum were categorized as oily skin group (n = 17; 14 males, 3 females; mean sebum level: 200.3 ± 26.9), and the other half were categorized as dry skin group (n = 18; 10 males, 8 females; mean sebum level: 101.9 ± 38). Periorbital edema and ecchymosis were assessed at postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. Acne and seborrhea severity determined with Global Acne Grading System and Seborrheic Dermatitis Area Severity Index the day before operation and postoperative days 7 and 14 and months 1, 3, and 10. Compared with dry skin group, upper eyelid ecchymosis score at postoperative day 7 was statistically higher in oily skin group (p = 0.044). There was no significant difference in upper eyelid edema scores between postoperative days 1 and 3 for oily skin group (p = 0.020). No statistically significant differences were found for acne and seborrhea severity. Nasal skin sebum levels may affect periorbital edema and ecchymosis after the procedure but no significant effect has been observed for acne and seborrhea. Predicting the effect of nasal skin types on these problems may help the surgeon to inform patients more correctly.