Rhinoplasty Healing Stages

  Recovery from mostly any surgery, rhinoplasty included, will vary depending on how well you follow directions and how much rest you provide yourself with to heal. Initial recovery from a rhinoplasty procedure is typically completed in a week. Most instructions you’ll hear from physicians who specialize in rhinoplasty include relaxing as much as possible, sleeping propped up, and icing your nose. From day one, there’s typically no pain to deal with. There may be some swelling, bruising and discomfort, but this is natural and will go away.

  After the first seven days of the healing process, stitches and packing will be removed at the clinic. Some patients have reported some minor pain and swelling within the next few weeks after, but this varies and is still perfectly normal. The initial healing period after the first week of rest is about a month to 3 months. You will find during this time that with each day, your nose looks better and better. Again, some swelling may persist, but this is still normal. Once you’ve reached the end, your nose will be exactly the way you always dreamed it would be.

  There’s still significant swelling at the nasal tip, however, but it’s usually not noticeable to others. Your recovery is generally complete at about 1 year after surgery. Although your nose will change over many years with age, rhinoplasty is a lifelong procedure that should leave you happy with your nose permanently. Now that you have a basic outline of rhinoplasty recovery, let’s go over some helpful tips to help the healing process move along smoothly for you post-surgery:

  • Unless otherwise instructed by your physician, try to avoid taking anything with vitamin E, fish oil and aspirin as they may cause excess bleeding.
  • Try not to smoke.
  • Sleeping with a wedge pillow will help you to sleep semi-upright to limit swelling.
  • Bags of frozen peas make excellent, form-fit ice packs for your nose.
  • Pineapple juice has been known to help reduce swelling and speed the recovery time.

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