Surgical Removal of Foreign Material by Suction Curettage After Injection Rhinoplasty: Patient-Reported Outcomes

He J, Bian W, Yang J, Dai T, Wei J.

What this paper says

In 46 patients who had synthetic non hyaluronic filler removed from the nose by suction curettage, satisfaction scores improved significantly at six months and no patient needed a second operation.

Overview

Injection rhinoplasty with synthetic non hyaluronic fillers can produce deformities that cause psychological distress. The injected material is technically difficult to clear completely from the nose, so surgery is chosen primarily to address that distress. Little data existed on what patients report after such removal. The authors reviewed all cases treated by suction curettage from August 2017 to June 2021.

Sections of note

Retrospective review of 46 patients with prospective questionnaire collection; therapeutic level of evidence IV.
Modified Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation questionnaires were completed before and 6 months after surgery.
Four patients developed minor surface irregularities on the bridge after surgery.
Two patients who had recurrent redness and swelling of the bridge before surgery still had redness afterward, though to a lesser degree.
No patient needed a second corrective operation.
All patient reported outcomes improved significantly at 6 months compared with before surgery.
The authors state the material can be effectively removed with minimal complications.

What it means for a patient

Suction curettage scrapes and suctions the material out rather than cutting it away, though the abstract states complete clearance is technically difficult.
Satisfaction and quality of life, described as severely impaired before surgery, improved significantly.
Some residual problems persisted, including redness in patients who had inflammation beforehand.
Forty six patients from one centre with six month follow up and no comparison group is limited evidence.

Why this paper matters

Permanent and semi permanent fillers in the nose can cause lasting deformity and inflammation with no straightforward reversal, unlike hyaluronic acid. This study reports outcomes of a removal technique from the patient's perspective. How completely the material was cleared is not measured.

Terms

Injection rhinoplasty: reshaping the nose with injectable filler instead of surgery.
Non hyaluronic filler: an injectable that cannot be dissolved with hyaluronidase.
Suction curettage: scraping and suctioning material out through a small opening.
Foreign material: injected substance the body treats as an intruder.
Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation: a satisfaction questionnaire scored out of 100.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-09; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

From the abstract

“Though generally safe, injection rhinoplasty with synthetic non-hyaluronic fillers may lead to various deformities, which impose a psychological burden on the patients. As the injected material is technically hard to be fully cleared in the nose, the surgery is primarily chosen to address the patients' psychological…”

Excerpt; the full abstract is on PubMed.