Rhinoplasty: Cost, Pics, Reviews, Q&A

Recovery from rhinoplasty depend on mainly if the nasal bones need to be broken and reset.

In that case you will have bruises around the eyes for three weeks, splint for two weeks, some pain in the first week, then stuffed nose swelling for 12 weeks, and final results in 6 months (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Most patients will not complain of pain, more of a discomfort. After a rhinoplasty most patients will complain of a congested feeling.

Elevating the head while sleeping may help this congested feeling. If the nasal bones are broken such as which occurs with an osteotomy there my be black and blue of the eyes.

As the nasal bones are healing your doctor may request that you wear a splint during the first week after surgery to help protect the bones. (Sharon Theresa McLaughlin MD, Long Island City Plastic Surgeon)

Most patients who have cosmetic rhinoplasty surgery experience little to no pain during recovery. You may wake up from surgery with a mild headache, but typically the nose itself is not generally in pain.

During the first day or so, you may have some tenderness and swelling, but the discomfort is typically alleviated with the prescription medications that your doctor will prescribe.

If you are also having extensive internal work done, such as sinus work, your pain or discomfort can be considerably more. This is mainly because you will likely require “packing” inside your nose to alleviate nasal bleeding.  (Amy T. Bandy, DO, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery after rhinoplasty not terrible

What is the recovery time for rhinoplasty surgery

Most patients have soreness after rhinoplasty but no significant pain, which is easily controlled with first line narcotic medications.

We place a cast on the nose, as well as splints and temporary packing inside the nose. The pack comes out the next day, and the cast and splints are removed 1 week later. Expect your nose to be stuffy for the first 1-2 weeks due to mucosal swelling. You can resume normal activities after 2 days, and can return to work or school in 8-10 days. We discourage any strenuous activity until 10-14 days after surgery. (Corey S. Maas, MD, San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon)

In general the healing time for a rhinoplasty is a year and a revision rhinoplasty can take even longer. The actual downtime is about 1 week. Most people look great at about 7 days after surgery and go back to work at that time but the final results can take up to a year to see. (Jason B. Diamond, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)

What is the recovery time for rhinoplasty photo

This is what i tell most of our rhinoplasty patients. Splints and stents out in 2 to 3 days. Sutures( if any) out in 5 to 7 days. Back to most jobs in 1 week. Most bruising gone in 1 to 2 weeks. Your nose will look better than preop in 2 to 3 weeks. Within 6 weeks 70 % of the swelling is gone.

Full activity is ok after 4 to 6 weeks. Within 6 months 90%of the swelling has resolved. Virtually all swelling resolves within 12 to 18 months. There are subtle changes that occur over the next 5 years due to the healing process. (Lee Kleiman, MD, Annapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon)

I typically tell my patients that they may return to work or school with in a week of surgery. If they work in doors and do not require public contact they can return in a few days. All normal activity may be resumed with in one month. (Carlos Wolf, MD, Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Recovery Period Following Nose Surgery

After any surgical procedure there will be pain and there will be downtime. It is very important to take the time needed to recuperate in order to avoid complications and achieve the best result possible.

Most patients describe the pain after rhinoplasty to be a constant aching tenderness which is worse over the first 24 hours and then gradually lessens over the next couple of days. Most patients take their pain medications regularly at first but then begin to taper off of them starting the next day after surgery.

Rarely does anyone require narcotics for more than a few days out, but remember, everyone experiences pain and reacts to pain differently so you may hear widely varying answers to that question. The worst part is if you need packing in the nose which most people do for at least the first 24 hours.

When the packing is in you will feel increased pressure as well as not being able to breathe through the nose. Usually this comes out the first or second day postoperatively unless you had extensive septal work and then it may require longer. Most patients have a plastic or plaster splint on the nose for the first week after surgery. That helps to control the swelling and keep the structure in the right position through the early healing.

While that is on, most people feel quite sociallyunacceptable.At one week the splint comes off and the stitches usually come out. At that point, you will be swollen but usually not enough that it is really obvious to people who do not know you.

Most people with a sedentary job feel comfortable in going back to work at this point. If you have a more strenuous job then you may need to be off a little bit longer.

You are restricted in lifting to 10-15 pounds for the first three weeks and no vigorous exertion or exercise for approximately four weeks postoperatively. If your surgery would involve breaking of the bones of the nose then we also recommend no contact sports for at least six weeks afterward to allow setting and healing of the bones.

Most of the swelling goes down in the first three to four weeks after surgery and most of the changes after that are usually subtle. Some swelling can persist and changes still happen up to one year postoperatively. After that point, the appearance tends to be stabilized. (Marie E. Montag, MD, Omaha Plastic Surgeon)

Recovering from Rhinoplasty Surgery

Full recovery after a rhinoplasty depends on several factors. This includes the type of rhinoplasty performed. Most standard rhinoplasties include some modification of the tip of the nose, reduction of a hump on the nose, and cutting the nasal bone so as to narrow the nose. If only minor modifications of the nose are made then the recovery should be less.

When modification is made to the tip of the nose, tip swelling can remain, to some degree, for a few months. This can be dependent also on the thickness of the overlying skin. In general, the thicker the skin the longer it will take for the swelling to subside. Normally, the last part of the nose to fully achieve its postoperative appearance is the tip of the nose.

When the nasal bones are cut, a patient can develop a black eye appearance. Normally, this resolves in one to two weeks. In general, it is safe to say that probably 80% of the improvement of the nose will be noticed in the first four to six weeks. The last 20% can take up to three and possibly four months to fully resolve.

During the recovery, it is important that you follow the directions of your plastic surgeon. As these tissues are healing, anything that would normally make your face turn red can prolong the swelling.

It is important to follow your plastic surgeon’s directions on the limitations of your activity following a rhinoplasty. (John J. Edney, MD, )

Rhinoplasty Recovery Time

Rhinoplasty recovery time can vary between patients, but typically patients can expect:

• Some pain and headache the first day or two post-surgery
• Bruising around the nose and sometimes the eyes – most bruises will disappear within 7 days, and supplements like Arnica montana can help to reduce the appearance of bruising.
• Congestion after surgery – this is due to nasal swelling and this feeling will diminish a few days after surgery
• Patients usually return to work after a week, when most of the swelling and bruising isn’t apparent
• Swelling can persist up to 1 year

This persistent swelling will not be noticeable, but there can be a small amount of swelling that will persist for up to a year, so patients should expect the surgical results to continue to improve for up to one year post-surgery (Amir M. Karam, MD, San Diego Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Nose job is one of the easiest procedures to recover from. After surgery tape and splint are applied to the nose for a period of 7 to 10 days, the nose is then taped for an additional week. I do not pack the nose but if septum is worked on then a splint is applied that allows patients to breath through the nose after surgery, and unlike packing it is easily removed.

Patient can return to a desk job after 3 to 5 days if wearing a splint at work is acceptable. There will be bruising under the eyes if nasal bones are repositioned. Pain is easily controlled and is usually minimal. However full activity and sports are 4 to 6 weeks out. (Shahriar Mabourakh, MD, FACS, Sacramento Plastic Surgeon)

Nose job recovery timeline

The healing process following nose job is unique to each individual. In general, you can expect swelling and bruising for about one week after your procedure. Most patients return to work in a week once the stitches and splint are removed. By this time much of the swelling has subsided and any residual bruising can be covered up with makeup. (Robert Morin, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

I recommend my patients at least 1 week but if you can take 2 that would great also, the more time you have to recover and rest the better.

After being discharged you leave with a cast on the nose which you have one for 1 week also you would be rather swollen in the face there would be bruising and puffiness in the eye area, I ask my patients to come back in 1 week for your follow-up where we would remove your cast and I put a tape which you wear fro 2 weeks and afterwards you would come back for another follow-up i remove the tape and you do not have to wear anything.

It is important that throughout this whole recovery process you limit yourself to a lot of activities to avoid any harm to your nose. During the followups is where depending on how you are recovering you would be permitted to return to some of your regular activites but all in all you need 1 week and just to be very careful with any sudden movements of just anything that could ruin your surgery. Swelling starts to subside between the 3rd and 4th week after surgery usually but each patient is very different sometimes the patient can unswell before that time period or viceversa, final results are seen until 6 months after surgery. (Luis Suarez, MD, Mexico Plastic Surgeon)

Nose job recovery

For my patients, I place a small dressing/splint on the bridge of the nose which remains on for 6 or 7 days. I do not put any packing in the nose, packing has traditionally been used in nasal surgery and is one of the most painful aspects postoperatively. In my opinion, there is usually no benefit of placing packing in the nose.

There is tremendous variation in the healing among patients, but most feel it is not painful. Commonly, patients describe recovery as being “uncomfortable,” with feelings of congestion and pressure as one has when they have a cold. At one week after surgery the dressing and sutures are removed, at that point the way you look is a function of the degree of bruising and swelling. On average most, if not all, bruising has resolved within 7 to 10 days. Makeup can be applied once the dressing is removed.

In terms of the shape and size of the nose, most patients see a significant change on their profile that they are happy with once the dressing is removed. From the front, looking straight into a mirror, most people feel their nose still appears wider than they would ultimately like; at one week after surgery this is an expected due to swelling. Once the dressing is removed at one week patients look fine to go out in public. Most patients are back to work or school within 10 days from surgery.

When patients return one month after surgery, they generally like the overall result, despite the fact that swelling will continue to go down. Swelling continues to resolve over many months, by a year you generally see the final result. This does not mean patients look swollen for a year, the longer term effects of swelling resolution tend to be subtle. (Robert Glasgold, MD, East Brunswick Facial Plastic Surgeon)