Rhinoplasty Recovery

Rhinoplasty has become popular enough, it’s not unusual to see people walking around shopping centers and malls with a splint over their noses.

But, at the same time, some of these people do not have black eyes or purple bruising on their faces.

The amount of bruising actually all depends on the type of nose surgery a patient has undergone.

The rule of thumb: If your nasal bones were not broken during surgery, you will probably see a clearing of whatever bruising exists within three days to a week.

Ditto if your plastic surgeon only shaved or filed down a bump on your nose,

Breaking the nose bones, though, causes more bruising which could require one to two weeks to heal.

Ask if your surgeon uses open or closed rhinoplasty.

Closed rhinoplasty creates swelling that takes anywhere from one to six weeks to subside.

But in an open rhinoplasty — the procedure in which the skin of the nose is peeled back from the bony framework of the nose – swelling takes longer to go down. It could be from one to six months.

(Nobody can give you a more exact answer because every nose job is unique.)

At first, you’ll probably feel like your whole face is swollen and that you have a minor headache.

But the prescription pain medications prescribed by your doctor should help; it’s a good idea to just chill out and stay in bed the day after surgery, with your head elevated. Keep some ice on hand to better control swelling and bruising.

Schedule at least a week off from work just for recovery. Continue sleeping with your head elevated for the first few nights after surgery. The idea is to prevent swelling that fluid accumulation brings.

And consider keeping some camouflage make up on hand in case you still have some bruising when you return to work.

Depending on the procedure, you may have a lot of nasal stuffiness, too. Nonetheless, your surgeon will probably tell you not to blow your nose.

Nasal packing usually comes out after two days while dressings, splints and bandages will be gone in about two weeks.

Things you want to avoid on and to your nose for one to three weeks include:

• Sunburns
• Any blow or strike
• Caution when face washing
• Anything that increases your blood pressure