Fly in 2 weeks, excercise in 3 weeks
This is my procedure policy for nose job, but in practice i alter this occassionally depending on the scope of the surgery. Excercising or flying too soon after surgery can lead to bleeding or swelling.
This is because the activity, rise in body temperature, or changes in cabin pressure (for flying) can stimulate increased blood flow to the nose.
As a rule of thumb, if any activity in the early period after surgery results in the nose throbbing, visibly swelling or bleeding, that activity should be stopped. (David W. Kim, MD, Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Flying and activity after nose job
Flying after surgery is a common question. There is nothing inherent problematic about flying. The problem is that, when you fly, you are generally far away from me, and if something like a nose bleed occurred it would be harder to deal with, especially if it happened while you were actually on the plane.
So, in short, I like to keep my patients relatively close by for the first week after surgery. As far as exercise is concerned. I encourage my patients to resume a normal life-style 48 hours after surgery. This includes light exercise (the kind that doesn’t make you breath hard or strain, like long walks).
After one week, I tell my patients to gradually increase their exercise to pre-surgery levels over the next two weeks. Of course, this assumes you are not doing exercises that put the nose at risk of being hit or pushed on. (Louis W. Apostolakis, MD, Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Activity after nose job
Activity after nose job can vary but there are certain principles that are more universal. You don’t want any high impact activity for several (4-6) weeks. We encourage our patients to do light activity as early as a week after surgery. That would mean light arm weights, treadmill or elliptical work with mild cardio but no aggressive cardio for a month. (Talmage J. Raine, MD, Champaign Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery after nose job or nose job
Most patients are capable of returning to normal work out activity at 10-14 days after nose job. Contact sports should be avoided for 6-8 weeks after surgery. Airplane travel can begin approximately one week after surgery. (Etai Funk, MD, Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Can I fly?
As for flying, I answer the same for patients having breast augmentation, nose job, liposuction, etc. It is recommended to remain local in the first 5-8 days post surgery. if there are any healing questions, I can address them. I have many patients flying to South Florida for surgery with me. i recommend post-op resting locally for at least a week. The barometric changes from flying do not appear to affect the healing for this surgery.
I would be more concerned about ear reconstructive surgery where changes in the middle ear pressure can be painful and cause detrimental changes to the healing process. What is significant though, is staying seated in an airplane for an extended period of time. I cam concerned about the development of throwing a blood clot. This is more problematic in the older patient and somewhat more “hypercoaguable” patients like women taking birth control pills. For longer trips, I recommend getting out of the airplane seat and walking up and down the aisles. Foot and toe flexion and extension exercises and isometic exercises are given to the patient who i know are flying. (Jonathan Berman, MD, Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon)
After surgery it is best to wait 2-4 weeks since exercising will increase your heart rate and blood pressure which may cause additional bleeding and swelling. As for flying you should be able to fly in a few days. (Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
Every physician has a different rule, but I generally allow my patients to fly about 7-10 days after surgery. (Babak Azizzadeh, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)
2 Weeks Before Exercise Post Rhinoplasty
I suggest that my patients wait 2 weeks post surgery to get your heart rate or blood pressure up.
This will reduce the chance for complications with bleeding or swelling post procedure. (Jeffrey W. Hall, MD, Austin Plastic Surgeon)
Rhinoplasty recovery time
With an open rhinoplasty that does not require nasal packing, flying is safe immediately. I ask patients to refrain from strenuous exercise for a week to avoid sweating the nasal splint off, and to avoid swelling.
After that, I place no restrictions other than avoiding significant nasal trauma from activities such as contact sports. (Thomas A. Mustoe, MD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
Exercising after rhinoplasty
A lot of my patients are very active young professionals and probably the most difficult process after nasal surgery is refraining exercising.
If osteotomies are performed, I typically recommend waiting six weeks from engaging in full exercise regiments. The reason why is it takes up to six weeks for the nasal bones to stabilize. I agree with many of the other surgeons recommendations on flying. (Edward S. Kwak, MD, Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Rhinoplasty exercise
The when to return to exercise after a rhino varies greatly from surgeon to surgeon. I tell my patients the following:
- You can return to general daily life activities the day after surgery
- Do not exercise till three days after the splint comes of which translated to 8-10 days after surgery.
- At this point, listen to your body and do not over do it
- Over exercising will not affect the structure of your nose. It may increase the swelling which may take longer to subside.
- You can fly as soon as the splint comes off which is approximately 5-7 days after surgery. (Raghu Athre, MD, Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Travel after rhinoplasty
There are no definite rules regarding travel after this type of surgery. Ideally, you should avoid strenuous activity for 7-10 days to reduce the risk of bleeding and excess swelling. Many patients have flown earlier than this, but can experience difficulty equalizing the inner ear pressure, just like what happens if you ha a head cold when flying.
Nasal decongestants are often helpful in reducing this if travel is necessary. Other non-contact sports or activity are usually fine after 10 days. It is always best to discuss this with your surgeon. (Steven L. Ringler, MD, FACS, Grand Rapids Plastic Surgeon)
Activity level and flying following rhinoplasty.
Postop instructions vary between surgeons. My recommendations are that light physical activity can begin following 1 week and gradually build to full exercise levels by the end of 3 weeks. Flying is allowed after 7 to 10 days with precautions including topical decongestants (Afrin) and systemic decongestants (Sudafed). (Mario J. Imola, DDS, MD, Denver Facial Plastic Surgeon)
How Soon After Rhinoplasty Can I Fly or Exercise?
It is best to wait at least 2 – 4 weeks post rhinoplasty before commencing in an exercise progeam. Exercise will increase your heart rate and can lead to elevated blood pressure and bleeding and swelling. You should be able to fly in a few days postoperatively. (Thomas Guillot, MD, Baton Rouge Plastic Surgeon)