Rhinoplasty Recovery Tips

Rhinoplasty is now one of the most sought after cosmetic procedures in the country and considered a fairly safe and effective one. However, proper recovery after a Rhinoplasty procedure plays an important role in getting the expected results. While discussing the procedure with your surgeon, you should also try and understand how best to recover after the procedure.

Here are some helpful tips on recovering after a Rhinoplasty Surgery-
1.    You will typically be asked to stay under observation for a couple of hours after the surgery to monitor for any post-operative complications or excess bleeding.
2.    Immediately after a surgery, a splint will be applied over your nose to give it support and to help it to maintain the new shape. Since the septum may also need some stabilization, soft plastic or rubber splints may be used inside the nose. This splint stays in place for about seven days by which time the nasal structure would have stabilized.
3.    In the first twenty-four hours after your surgery, your face will experience some puffiness, there may be some swelling and pain in and around your nose and you may also experience dull headaches. Usually some pain medications and sleeping pills will help you in managing this pain. The first day after surgery, you are advised to rest in bed with your head raised.
4.    To begin with the bruising and swelling around your eyes may keep increasing and may reach a peak about two or three days after you have had the procedure. Apply some cold compresses to reduce the swelling and diminish the pain. Most of this bruising and swelling will go away within fifteen days or so.
5.    It is common to notice some drainage during the first few days and you may experience some stuffiness in your nose for quite a few weeks. For the first week, you may be advised not to blow your nose since your tissues are still in the process of healing.
6.    You may be able to get up and starting moving around without any problem within a couple of days of your surgery. In fact, so long as you are not doing anything strenuous, you should be able to get back to work within a week of surgery. However, it may be a few weeks till you feel like you are completely back to normal.
7.    Your surgeon will give you clear instructions on how to get back to your normal activities slowly and steadily. You will be advised to avoid any strenuous activity, especially physical ones like running, swimming and so on for about three weeks. You should avoid rubbing your nose hard and protect it against any accidental bumps. Wash your face very gently and be careful while using cosmetics.
8.    Your surgeon will schedule fairly frequent follow-up calls in the days immediately after the surgery and then some occasional ones in the later months. These visits will continue till your surgeon is convinced that you have healed completely and can get on with your normal daily normal activities.