(0514) Effect of Medical Ozone Therapy in Preventing Compromised Nasal Skin in Revision Rhinoplasty

Introduction: Ozone is often used as an additional therapy for skin conditions like infectious diseases, wound healing, diabetic foot, and pressure ulcers. The viability of the nasal skin has crucial importance in revision rhinoplasty cases. The study is conducted to investigate the potential benefits of medical ozone therapy in healing the nasal skin in these cases.

Methods: The study retrospectively examined 523 revision rhinoplasty patients operated by the first author from January 2017 to January 2024. Patients consenting to ozone therapy received 3 major autohemotherapy sessions post-surgery. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with compromised nasal skin (infection, poor vascular supply) and those with normal healing. Age, gender, smoking, diabetes, previous surgeries, grafting materials, and techniques were considered. Three representative cases will be presented.

Results: Of the 523 patients observed in the study, 12 (2.3%) experienced major skin complications like infection and skin necrosis, whereas 511 (97.7%) had no skin issues or minor, such as discoloration. Of the patients without major complications, 299 (58.3%) received postoperative ozone therapy while 212 (41.7%) did not. Among the 12 with major complications, 2 (16.7%) received ozone therapy, and the remaining 10 (83.3%) did not. Ozone therapy recipients showed statistically fewer skin problems (p < 0.05). Costal cartilage as tip and dorsal graft was linked to skin issues (p < 0.05). No major adverse effects from ozone therapy were noted.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ozone therapy may be a safe and potentially effective option for patients undergoing revision rhinoplasty, especially those with compromised nasal skin. It appears to aid in skin healing and regeneration, possibly through enhancing oxygen delivery and modulation of the immune response. Ozone therapy is a promising adjunct treatment for managing skin complications in revision rhinoplasty patients.