Soft-Tissue “Pollybeak” Deformity Avoidance and Management

Abstract

A soft-tissue pollybeak deformity is aesthetically unattractive to the patient and to the surgeon. Its etiology and treatment is quite different than a cartilaginous pollybeak deformity. The main etiologic factor is an imbalance in the amount and thickness of the skin in the supratip lobule, and the amount and strength of the underlying cartilaginous structures. There is a potential dead space that fills with scar tissue, and this must be avoided by identifying the patients who are more prone to developing this problem by modifying the surgery and dressings accordingly and by using postoperative Triamcinolone injections. Revision surgery to remove excess scar tissue will sometimes be necessary.