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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Correction of the Soft Tissue Pollybeak


Using Triamcinolone Injection
Matthew M. Hanasono, MD; Russell W. H. Kridel, MD; Norman J. Pastorek, MD;
Mark J. Glasgold, MD; R. James Koch, MD

Objective: To describe the technique for correction of geon, with good supratip definition. Nineteen (15%) of
the soft tissue pollybeak deformity using intralesional in- the 127 patients had a less than optimal result, with
jection of triamcinolone acetonide. residual supratip fullness, as judged by the surgeon.
There were no complications caused by triamcinolone
Methods: We discuss our philosophy, regimen, and tech- injection.
nique for treatment of the soft tissue pollybeak using tri-
amcinolone injection. We include results from a series Conclusions: Because revision surgery is difficult and
of 173 patients who underwent rhinoplasty performed may be associated with complications, intralesional tri-
by one of us (N.J.P.). amcinolone injection is the first-line treatment for the
soft tissue pollybeak deformities caused by subdermal scar-
Results: Triamcinolone was injected at 1 week after ring. Should intralesional steroid injection fail to satis-
surgery in 127 patients (73%). A second injection was factorily treat the deformity, revision rhinoplasty can sub-
performed in 92 (72%) of the 127 patients at 4 weeks sequently be performed.
after surgery. One hundred eight (85%) of the 127
patients had an acceptable result, as judged by the sur- Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2002;4:26-30

T
HE POLLYBEAK deformity is pollybeak, and simple trimming of this
one of the most common cartilage will solve the problem. With loss
complications of rhino- of tip support, a cartilage strut or tip graft
plasty.1-3 It is a convexity of can be placed to correct or disguise the
the nasal supratip relative deformity.
to the rest of the nose. This deformity is A more difficult problem is the pol-
colloquially known as pollybeak because lybeak deformity that occurs paradoxi-
the lower two thirds of the nose takes on cally as a result of overresection of the lower
the convex profile of a parrot’s beak. The dorsal cartilaginous septum and/or the ce-
pollybeak is not due to transient postop- phalic margins of the lower lateral carti-
From the Division of erative edema but represents a persis- lages in the area of the supratip. This de-
Otolaryngology–Head and
tent, unattractive fullness that distorts the formity usually occurs in combination with
Neck Surgery, Stanford
University Medical Center, dorsal profile and obscures the tip.
Stanford, Calif (Drs Hanasono While the pollybeak may be the re- For commentary
and Koch); the Department of sult of technique, it may also be an un- see page 31
Otolaryngology–Head and predictable complication for even the most
Neck Surgery, Division of experienced surgeons. The causes of pol- thick nasal skin, resulting in inadequate
Facial Plastic Surgery, lybeak include inadequate resection of su- skin contraction and excessive dead space
University of Texas Health pratip structures, most commonly the dor- between the skin and the septal border,
Science Center, Houston sal septal cartilage or the cephalic margins which fills with scar tissue and results in
(Dr Kridel); the Department of the lower lateral cartilages; loss of tip a supratip fullness. The patient who re-
of Otolaryngology–Head and
support; or, paradoxically, excessive car- quires revision rhinoplasty with major alar
Neck Surgery, Cornell
University Medical Center, tilage resection in the supratip region that and septal cartilage resections to correct a
New York, NY (Dr Pastorek); results in subcutaneous scar tissue forma- cartilaginous pollybeak deformity is also
and The Glasgold Group, tion, often in conjuction with thick nasal at risk for formation of dead space that may
Highland Park, NJ tip skin.1-5 If excess cartilage is the cause, fill with scar tissue and result in a soft tis-
(Dr Glasgold). the condition is called a cartilaginous sue pollybeak.1

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TECHNIQUE pollybeak, triamcinolone acetonide at a concentration of
10 mg/mL is typically used at the conclusion of surgery as
a preventive measure. Such an injection is not adminis-
A 1-mL tuberculin syringe with a 30-gauge needle is used. tered when the technique of open rhinoplasty is used to
The triamcinolone should be shaken well, as it comes in prevent spread of triamcinolone over the entire dorsal re-
suspension rather than as a solution. The technique of ad- gion of the nose. One of us (R.W.H.K.) assesses patients at
ministering triamcinolone can be performed as 2 separate 2 weeks after surgery for potential soft tissue pollybeak de-
lateral supratip injections or as a single midline supratip formity and, if evident, will inject 0.1 to 0.2 mL of triam-
injection in which the needle is redirected to the left and cinolone acetonide at a concentration of 10 mg/mL (1 to 2
right sides (Figure 1). mg). Subsequent injections in the same quantity are then
The depth of injection should be in the subcutaneous administered every 4 weeks as needed using either the 10-
tissue. If blanching is seen, the injection is in the dermis, or the 40-mg/mL suspension, based on the response to the
and the tip of the needle should be directed deeper. Injec- prior injection. The total amount of triamcinolone used is
tion of triamcinolone into the dermis can result in cuta- guided by the response of the deformity, which varies from
neous atrophy. As is standard practice in intralesional in- patient to patient. In referral cases in which a soft tissue
jection techniques, the surgeon should attempt aspiration pollybeak has already formed from previous surgery, 0.1
with the syringe first to ensure that the needle tip is not to 0.2 mL of triamcinolone acetonide at a concentration of
within a blood vessel. This cannot be overemphasized, as 40 mg/mL (4-8 mg) is injected (Figure 2).
injection of triamcinolone into a blood vessel can have haz- Another one of us (N.J.P.) begins injections earlier in
ardous consequences for the patient (see the “Comment” the postoperative course to address incipient formation of
section). Aspiration before injection may also facilitate the the soft tissue pollybeak. Evaluation of the supratip area is
diagnosis and treatment of a seroma that is masquerading performed 1 week after surgery. At that time, supratip full-
as a soft tissue pollybeak in the early postoperative phase. ness is visually assessed and the supratip area is palpated.
A splint may be placed back on the nose in thick- If there appears to be fullness or if there is blottable edema
skinned individuals after the first injection and left in place of the supratip, a small amount of triamcinolone ace-
for approximately 1 week. The splint should fit well with tonide, 0.1 mL of a 10-mg/mL suspension (1 mg), is in-
adequate pressure over the supratip but should not ex- jected subcutaneously. The patient is seen again at 1 month
tend onto the domal area or cover the tip region. Patients after surgery and another injection is administered at that
should be informed that the supratip area may look swol- time if residual fullness is present.
len for several days. They are assessed every 4 weeks after The Table summarizes the regimens used by several
injection, and subsequent injections are administered based authors. Note that more recent reports have recom-
on the tissue response. Restraint must be used in the de- mended smaller dosages than those used by Rees6 and Mahe
cision to repeat an injection to prevent overtreatment and et al,7 who were among the first to describe the technique
the consequent atrophy that may produce a saddle nose or in detail and had very successful results. Also, Holt et al1
irregular skin deformity. Generally, no more than 4 to 6 recommend an injection of 5 mg of triamcinolone ace-
injections are administered over time. tonide into the supratip region every 3 to 6 weeks until the
The amount of triamcinolone used varies depending edema is resolved. Cook and Guida4 recommend treating
on whether the intent is preventative or curative. In the pa- the soft tissue pollybeak with 10-mg/mL triamcinolone ace-
tient with thick nasal skin and a cartilaginous pollybeak tonide injections monthly beginning 1 month after sur-
deformity who is at risk for developing a soft tissue gery until the deformity resolves.

For this soft tissue type of pollybeak, revision rhino- month period. The patients (139 women and 34 men)
plasty with resection of the scar and debulking of the su- ranged in age from 15 to 78 years. One hundred nine-
pratip subcutaneous tissue is often followed by taping and teen patients underwent primary rhinoplasty (91 women
splinting to prevent recurrence. However, this technique and 28 men), and 54 patients underwent revision rhi-
may be ineffective in thick-skinned individuals and must noplasty (48 women and 6 men). These rhinoplasties were
be performed with utmost care so as not to perforate performed with the cartilage delivery technique in pa-
through the skin or devascularize the dermis from below tients who demonstrated adequate tip support before sur-
and cause tissue necrosis. Many rhinoplastic surgeons have gery. An external splint was placed at the conclusion of
successfully been able to avoid such revision surgery by surgery and was removed in 1 week, at which time the
sequential injection of the corticosteroid triamcinolone ace- supratip was visually assessed and palpated. Postopera-
tonide into the supratip scar tissue.6-10 The literature, how- tive follow-up lasted a minimum of 6 weeks.
ever, contains only brief mention of the use triamcino- Triamcinolone acetonide (10 mg/mL) was injected
lone, and to date there has been little comparison or subcutaneously into the supratip region per the au-
quantification of the treatment regimens used by various thor’s protocol at 1 week after surgery in 127 patients
surgeons. (73%). The group included 84 (70%) of 119 primary rhi-
noplasties and 43 (80%) of 54 revision rhinoplasties.
RESULTS Ninety-two (72%) of the 127 patients required a second
injection with triamcinolone acetonide at a concentra-
A retrospective review of the experience of one of us tion of 25 mg/mL at 4 weeks after surgery. The decision
(N.J.P.) with rhinoplasty was performed. One hundred to treat with triamcinolone was made by the surgeon
seventy-three rhinoplasties were performed over a 13- (N.J.P.).

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One hundred eight (85%) of the 127 patients who ther 1% lidocaine hydrochloride or normal saline. The pack-
received injections had an acceptable result, with good age insert states that triamcinolone acetonide at a
supratip definition, as judged by the surgeon. Nineteen concentration of 10 mg/mL (Kenalog-10; Bristol-Myers
(15%) of the 127 patients had a less than optimal result, Squibb Co, Princeton, NJ) is intended for intradermal and
with residual supratip fullness, as judged by the sur- intra-articular use. Intradermal applications include treat-
geon. There were no permanent complications from the ment of a wide range of disorders, including keloid scars,
injections in any of the patients in this series. discoid lupus erythematosus, necrobiosis lipoidica dia-
beticorum, lichen planus, psoriatic plaques, granuloma an-
COMMENT nulare, and lichen simplex chronicus. Triamcinolone ace-
tonide at a concentration of 40 mg/mL (Kenalog-40; Bristol-
Triamcinolone acetonide is commercially available as an Myers Squibb Co) is intended for intramuscular and intra-
injectable suspension in concentrations of 10 and 40 mg/ articular use. We describe herein subcutaneous intralesional
mL, but it can be diluted to lesser concentrations with ei- rather than intradermal injection of triamcinolone ace-
tonide at concentration doses of up to 40 mg/mL.
Intralesional injection of keloid and hypertrophic
scars with triamcinolone was first described in the 1965
by Maguire.11 Triamcinolone is used in hypertrophic and
keloid scars as both a primary treatment and prophylac-
tically after surgical scar excision to prevent recur-
rence.12,13 Significant action of the agent is discernible in
tissues for up to 6 weeks.14 Darzi et al12 reported symp-
tomatic relief in 72% and complete flattening in 64% of
keloid and hypertrophic scars injected with triamcino-
lone. It has therefore been recommended as a first-line
treatment for small keloids.
The exact mechanism by which steroids reduce scar-
ring has not been fully elucidated. Corticosteroids de-
crease fibroblast proliferation and inflammatory re-
sponses.13 This action results in decreased collagen and
glycosaminoglycan synthesis with decreased tissue fibro-
sis.15 Corticosteroids also inhibit collagenase inhibitors,
resulting in increased collagen degradation.13,15 Prophy-
lactic and early treatments should therefore have a greater
clinical effect, as they are associated with both decreased
scar proliferation and increased degradation. Later, revi-
Figure 1. Placement of subcutaneous intralesional triamcinolone acetonide sion treatment may have less effect, because it takes place
injection for soft tissue pollybeak deformity. after the period of scar proliferation and is associated

A B C D

Figure 2. A, Presurgical photograph of a 22-year-old woman who underwent rhinoplasty, chin augmentation, and submental liposuction. B, Photograph taken
7.5 weeks after surgery demonstrates early formation of a soft tissue pollybeak, which was treated with triamcinolone acetonide at that time. C, Photograph
taken 7 months after surgery. D, Posttreatment photograph taken 9.5 months after surgery shows resolution of the soft tissue pollybeak.

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Triamcinolone Regimens Recommended by Various Authors for Treatment of the Soft Tissue Pollybeak

First Treatment
Source, y Triamcinolone Acetonide, Dosage After Surgery Repeated at
6
Rees, 1971 0.2-0.5 mL of 10 mg/mL (2-5 mg) Not stated 1- to 2-wk intervals as needed
Mahe et al,7,8 1974 and 1979 0.25-0.5 mL of 40 mg/mL (10-20 mg) Not stated 3 wk if needed
Guyuron et al,9 2000 0.1-0.2 mL of 40 mg/mL or 4 wk 4-wk intervals (3 injections
0.2-0.4 mL of 20 mg/mL (4-8 mg) maximum)
Gruber,10 2000 0.1-0.2 mL of 10 mg/mL (1-2 mg) 4-6 wk 1- to 2-wk intervals as needed
mixed with an equal volume of
lidocaine hydrochloride
Present study
N.J.P. 0.1 mL of 10 mg/mL (1 mg) 1 wk 4 wk after surgery with 0.1 mL of
25 mg/mL (2.5 mg) if needed
R.W.H.K. 0.1-0.2 mL of 10 mg/mL (1-2 mg) 2 wk 4 wk using 0.1-0.2 mL of 10 mg/mL
or 40 mg/mL (1-2 mg or 4-8 mg,
respectively) depending on
results of previous injection
(4-6 injections maximum)

with increased scar degradation alone. Because of the dual septum or the dorsal borders of the upper lateral carti-
activity of triamcinolone before scar proliferation, early in- lages are too high, they can also be trimmed during sur-
jection requires less agent. Our method therefore re- gical revision. Augmentation of the upper dorsum may
quires a lower concentration (10 mg/mL) of triamcino- be needed in patients with very thick supratip skin in or-
lone acetonide for intraoperative and early postoperative der to create a straight-appearing dorsal line. Tip grafts
treatments and a higher concentration (40 mg/mL) for re- may also be used to refine and protect the tip above a
vision cases with curative rather than preventive intent. thick supratip that will not respond to therapy.
The major risk of treatment with triamcinolone in- Dorsal autologous grafts can also be used when the
jections is subcutaneous atrophy.12 The rate of subcuta- illusion of supratip fullness is caused by excessive high
neous atrophy in hypertophic and keloid scar treatment dorsal resection when the remaining nasal skin does not
reported by Darzi et al12 was 4%. Because triamcinolone shrink down. Prophylactic triamcinolone injections can
remains active in the tissue for 4 to 6 weeks, reinjection be administered at the time of surgery and during the
should probably not take place before this period because recovery period according to the protocol we have
there may be a higher accumulation of corticosteroid than outlined. Revision surgery should be delayed for at least
desired. Other potential complications include depigmen- 6 months after the initial surgery.
tation, telangiectasia formation, necrosis, and ulcer- It is preferable, however, to avoid surgery if pos-
ation.13,14,16 Rarely, symptoms of Cushing syndrome have sible. Subdermal dissection with resection of scar tissue
been reported but are usually reversible.17,18 A recent re- in revision surgery is difficult to perform and may lead to
port described an occurrence of complete and irreversible complications. Irregular thinning, adhesions, telangiec-
blindness resulting from steroid injection into the dorsum tasias, vertical grooves, furrows, and possible skin loss may
of the nose to treat subcutaneous scarring.18 Presumably, result.2 In general, subcutaneous triamcinolone injection-
the blindness was caused by a microembolus of injected into the scar tissue is the preferred first-line treatment for
suspension that led to the occlusion of retinal or choroi- soft tissue pollybeak, as it is well tolerated and has mini-
dal vessels. To our knowledge, there have been no other mal risk of exacerbating the deformity. If the triamcino-
reports of blindness associated with steroid injection of lone injections are not effective, surgical revision re-
the nasal dorsum, but blindness has been described as a mains a possibility for correction of the deformity.
complication of nasal turbinate steroid injection.19 Systemic steroids, such as dexamethasone, are used
We know of no studies that have quantitatively evalu- by some rhinoplastic surgeons to decrease postopera-
ated the systemic effects of intralesional injection of tri- tive eyelid and nasal edema as well as discomfort or
amcinolone for the pollybeak deformity. Mabry20 found pain.21,22 It is not known whether use of systemic ste-
that slight systemic absorption was evident 3 days after roids at the time of surgery may reduce the incidence of
intraturbinal injection with 40 mg of triamcinolone ace- the pollybeak deformity. Several other modulators of the
tonide for nasal turbinate hypertrophy, with some de- wound healing process are also currently being ex-
pression of plasma cortisol lasting up to 1 week in 4 (30%) plored as intralesional or systemic treatment for keloids
of the 14 patients studied. Cortisol values, however, were and hypertrophic scars. These modulators include isotreti-
not lower than normal limits at any time, and no adre- noin, interferon gamma, interferon alfa, and tamoxifen
nal suppression was apparent after repeated injections. citrate.23-25 For example, isotretinoin combined with tri-
If steroid injections do not fully correct the pol- amcinolone appears to significantly inhibit the growth
lybeak deformity, revision surgery can be performed. The of keloid fibroblasts in cell culture.23 Whether these treat-
scar tissue is excised, and a compressive tape and nasal ments alone or in combination with triamcinolone in-
dorsal splint are applied. The compressive tape should jection will prove to be effective treatment for the postrhi-
be maintained for at least 3 weeks. If the cartilaginous noplasty pollybeak remains to be seen.

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5. Wright WK. Symposium: the supra-tip in rhinoplasty: a dilemma, II: influence of
CONCLUSIONS surrounding structure and prevention. Laryngoscope. 1976;86:50-52.
6. Rees TD. An aid to the treatment of supratip swelling after rhinoplasty. Laryn-
Because revision surgery is difficult and may result in com- goscope. 1971;81:308-311.
7. Mahe E, Camblin J, Micheli Pelligrini V. Les injections d’acetonide de triamcino-
plications, subcutaneous intralesional triamcinolone in- lone dans le traitement du “bec de corbin.” Ann Otolaryngol Chir Cervicofac. 1974;
jection is the first-line treatment for the soft tissue pol- 91:695-703.
lybeak deformity. The technique is straightforward, 8. Mahe E, Camblin J, Micheli Pelligrini V. Traitment du “bec de corbin” post-
operatoire par injections iteratives in situ d’acetonide de triamcinolone. Ann Chir
and good results may be achieved. Subcutaneous injec- Plast. 1979;29:79-86.
tion into the scar tissue may be accompanied by infre- 9. Guyuron B, DeLuca L, Lash R. Supratip deformity: a closer look. Plast Reconstr
quent adverse effects, most commonly subcutaneous at- Surg. 2000;105:1140-1151.
10. Gruber RP. Supratip deformity: a closer look. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;105:
rophy; therefore, injections should be administered only 1152-1153.
in the subcutaneous level of the supratip, where the over- 11. Maguire HC Jr. Treatment of keloids with triamcinolone acetonide injected in-
tralesionally. JAMA. 1965;192:325-326.
lying skin is thick. Should intralesional steroid injec- 12. Darzi MA, Chowdri NA, Kaul SK, Khan M. Evaluation of various methods of treat-
tion fail to satisfactorily treat the deformity, revision rhi- ing keloids and hypertrophic scars: a ten year follow up study. Br J Plast Surg.
noplasty can still be performed 6 months after the initial 1992;45:374-379.
13. Lindsey WH, David PT. Facial keloids: a 15-year experience. Arch Otolaryngol
surgery. Head Neck Surg. 1997;123:397-400.
14. Ceilley RI, Babin RW. The combined use of cryosurgery and intralesional injec-
Accepted for publication August 23, 2000. tions of suspensions of fluorinated adrenocorticosteroids for reducing keloids
and hypertrophic scars. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1979;5:54-56.
This study was presented in part at the spring meeting 15. Cohen IK, Diegelmann RF. The biology of keloids and hypertrophic scars and
of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstruc- the influence of corticosteroids. Clin Plast Surg. 1977;4:297-299.
16. Ketchum LD, Cohen IK, Masters FW. Hypertrophic scars and keloids: a collec-
tive Surgery (Combined Otolaryngological Spring Meet- tive review. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1974;53:140-154.
ings), Orlando, Fla, May 13, 2000. 17. Boyadjiev C, Popchristova E, Mazgalova J. Histomorphologic changes in ke-
Corresponding author and reprints: Russell W. H. Kridel, loids treated with Kenacort. J Trauma. 1995;38:299-302.
18. Shafir R, Cohen M, Gur E. Blindness as a complication of subcutaneous nasal
MD, Facial Plastic Surgery Associates, 6655 Travis St, steroid injection. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;104:1180-1182.
Suite 900, Houston, TX 77030-1336 (e-mail: rkridel 19. Mabry RL. Visual loss after intranasal corticosteroid injection: incidence, causes,
@todaysface.com). and prevention. Arch Otolaryngol. 1981;107:484-486.
20. Mabry RL. Evaluation of systemic absorption of intraturbinally injected triam-
cinolone. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1981;89:268-270.
REFERENCES 21. Kittel H, Masing H. Corticosteroid therapy in rhinoplasty. Rhinology. 1976;14:
163-166.
22. Hoffmann DF, Cook TA, Quatela VC, Wang TD, Brownrigg PJ, Brummett RE. Ste-
1. Holt GR, Garner ET, McLarey D. Postoperative sequelae and complications of roids and rhinoplasty: a double-blind study. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.
rhinoplasty. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 1987;20:853-876. 1991;117:990-993.
2. Parkes ML, Kanodia R, Machida BK. Revision rhinoplasty: an analysis of aes- 23. Cruz NI, Korchin L. Inhibition of human keloid fibroblast growth by isotretinoin
thetic deformities. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992;118:695-701. and triamcinolone acetonide in vitro. Ann Plast Surg. 1994;33:401-405.
3. Swanepoel PF, Eisenberg I. Current concepts in cosmetic rhinoplasty. S Afr Med 24. Berman B, Flores F. The treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Eur J Der-
J. 1981;60:536. matol. 1988;8:591-596.
4. Cook TA, Guida RA. Postoperative management of rhinoplasty patients. In: 25. Chau D, Mancoll JS, Lee S, Zhao J, Phillips LG, Gittes GK, Longaker MT. Ta-
Daniel RK, ed. Rhinoplasty. Boston, Mass: Little Brown & Co Inc; 1993:769- moxifen downregulates TGF-beta production in keloid fibroblasts. Ann Plast Surg.
776. 1998;40:490-493.

Call for Papers

W e are planning an issue of the Archives of Fa-


cial Plastic Surgery for the last quarter of 2002
on the Aging Face. This will be a joint theme issue with
the other AMA journals. All aspects of the theme will be
considered, and the formats can include original contri-
butions, surgical techniques, and reviews. Contribu-
tions will be considered through June 2002.

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