Efficacy and Safety of Triamcinolone Acetonide Injections Following Rhinoplasty: A Systematic Review of Recommended Doses, Complications, and Outcomes

Khan M, AlRajhi B, Turkistani L, Alzubaidi FA, Almosa W, Abu Alqam R, Mortada H, Obeid FM, Alarfaj A.

PubMed 38519572 Publisher (DOI)Free full text (PMC)

What this paper says

The first systematic review of steroid (triamcinolone) injections after rhinoplasty found six studies with 1,524 patients supporting them as a safe, early first-line treatment for supratip swelling with few complications.

Overview

Triamcinolone injections are used after rhinoplasty to shrink swelling and scar in the supratip and prevent pollybeak deformity. The Saudi authors searched Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and Cochrane to May 2023, including randomised and observational studies, and extracted dose, concentration, timing, interval, injection site, response and complications.

Sections of note

Six of 1,604 articles met criteria; 1,524 patients.
Data extracted: rhinoplasty type, follow-up, injection site, syringe type, timing of first dose, volume and concentration, dose interval, response, complications.
The authors conclude injections are easy and safe as first-line treatment with positive outcomes and limited complications.
Early postoperative use is proposed to reduce the need for revision surgery.
Level of Evidence II; the authors call for randomised trials.

What it means for a patient

A small steroid injection above the tip in the weeks after surgery is a standard way to control persistent swelling, especially in thick skin.
Complications (skin thinning, discolouration) are possible but were limited in the pooled studies.
Dose and timing vary; the review gathers what is published.

Why this paper matters

It is the only systematic synthesis of a very common post-rhinoplasty intervention. Limits: six studies, no pooled effect size in the abstract, mostly observational.

Terms

Triamcinolone acetonide: a long-acting injectable corticosteroid.
Supratip oedema: swelling just above the tip.
Pollybeak deformity: fullness above the tip that rounds the profile.
First-line treatment: the initial treatment tried before others.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-08; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

Abstract

Background: Triamcinolone acetonide injections (TAIs) have been suggested to decrease complications following rhinoplasty. This systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of TAIs following rhinoplasty.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search on Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to May 2023, without any timeframe limitations. The following terms were used: (Triamcinolone OR steroid injections OR triamcinolone acetonide) AND (Skin thickness OR supratip edema OR supratip deformity OR Pollybeak deformity) AND (rhinoplasty OR external rhinoplasty). We included randomized controlled trials and observational studies (prospective, retrospective, and case series).

Results: In total, six of the 1604 articles met our inclusion criteria. A total of 1524 patients were included in this study. Our results included patient demographics, type of rhinoplasty, post-injection follow-up period, site of injection, type of syringe used, timing of the first dose, volume and concentration used, time interval between doses, response to the injection, and complications of injection.

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to address this issue. Our results demonstrate the ease and safety of TAIs as a first-line treatment, with positive outcomes and limited complications. TAIs can be used early postoperatively to minimize the need for revision surgery. Despite the limited number of studies on TAIs, this study provides the best available evidence that can help surgeons decide when to use the injection, the intervals between doses, and the duration of use. Further randomized controlled trials are required to confirm our findings.

Level Of Evidence Ii: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Abstract as indexed by PubMed; the article is open access (PubMed Central).