Rhinoplasty Social Downtime
I generally tell patients they may return to work on average after 1 week post rhinoplasty where they would look socially presentable in most cases,this of course may vary for revisions.
I usually relate to my patients that there is about a 3-4 week frame during which time the vast majority of your facial swelling should reduce.
Still, with the two week period that you have, your swelling should be relatively better. You can always apply a little bit of makeup and foundation to the face to help conceal swelling and bruising.
I would advise that you do not miss out on your social event because of any concern with your swelling- just go and enjoy yourself, as the swelling is unlikely to be very noticeable by this stage of your recovery. (Sam Rizk, MD, New York Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery and downtime after a rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty is a popular and effective surgery to recontour the shape of your nose. Patients undergoing a rhinoplasty should understand recovery process.
Immediately after the surgery, you may experience some swelling throughout your nose.
This swelling may fluctuate after your nasal surgery. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon as they may recommend that you continue to use a cold compress to this area, elevate the head, and continue to wait for the swelling to subside. Patients should expect a small amount of bruising which may resolve in approximately 3 days.
Patients usually have a metal splint that remains on the top of their nose for 5 to 7 days. Once the splint is removed, patients feel comfortable returning to their social activities. (Pat Pazmino, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Social Downtime After Rhinoplasty
Most of my patients have a yellow-green color on the lower eyelids at one week when the splint is removed with perhaps a dot or two of light purple. Many patients can cover with make-up at that time. Almost 100% of patients look bruise free at 10 days, especially with make-up. The worst case would be 3 weeks but this is rare. If you are a man or otherwise prefer to avoid make-up planning two weeks would almost certainly cover you in the event that you plan to keep your surgery private. (Louis W. Apostolakis, MD, Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Rhinoplasty downtime tips
You have given yourself about 13 days to heal, which should be more than enough time for a standard primary rhinoplasty. Some revisions can take longer than that but your doctor should be able to give you a pretty good idea what your downtime will be. (Jason B. Diamond, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Downtime after rhinoplasty nose job
Most of my patients are back to their social activities 7-10 days after their rhinoplasty. Bruising should resolve by this time and any discomfort will have diminished significantly. (Etai Funk, MD, Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Downtime After A Rhinoplasty
Downtime varies tremendously from surgeon to surgeon depending on what techniques they use to minimize bruising and swelling. In addition, each patient will have a variable amount of swelling. The vast majority of rhinoplasty patients in my practice return to work one week after a procedure. Patients in the fashion industry typically may look pretty good in person at one month, but will start to photograph better at the three month mark.
Patients with a once a lifetime event (hopefully) such as a wedding should have the procedure at a minimum of three months prior as the photographs taken from the event will likely be viewed many times there after. The nose itself takes at least a year for the majority of the swelling to exit the nose, but most likely slightly longer. Your office should work with you to help minimize swelling and bruising. Every nose is different and may require a different approach or amount of time before a swelling milestone is reached. (Anil R. Shah, MD, Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Downtime after rhinoplasty
You have allowed two weeks to recover after surgery, which should be more than enough time. The extent of rhinoplasty can vary from patient to patient. However, most of my rhinoplasty patients are ‘socially acceptable’ after 7-10 days.
Understand that there will still be some swelling after surgery, which will gradually decrease over time. The swelling does not bother the majority of my patients and does not prevent them from social activities. The majority of my patients have little or no bruising after surgery. (Ryan Greene, MD, PhD, Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Returning to social activities after a rhinoplasty
Even though recovery from rhinoplasty is highly individual, most of our patients can return to social activities within 2 weeks. On the other hand, in our practice many patients return to work after about a week even though there might be still some minimal tel tale signs.
Rhinoplasty is one of the more difficult procedures for a surgeon to master. The more experienced and talented surgeon, the less surgical trauma during rhinoplasty, the quicker recovery. You might find it insightful to read my article “The Art of Sculpting the Nose” which can be found on my web site under “publications” (Boris M. Ackerman, MD, Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon)