Rhinoplasty, or ‘nose job’, is a common cosmetic procedure that involves making small incisions to the area around the nostrils. The procedure itself has very little risk of harm and, with the right aftercare, recovery from a rhinoplasty can be fairly straightforward. In most cases, it will take around 6 weeks for the bones and blood vessels in your nose to heal after rhinoplasty and you may not notice the full results of the procedure until up to 12 months. To optimise results and ensure that you do not cause any problems during your recovery, it is important that you follow the correct rhinoplasty aftercare and recovery process.
24 hours after rhinoplasty surgery
During the first 24 hours after your rhinoplasty surgery, you will be the most vulnerable to harm or damage. You should spend these hours resting, drinking lots of fluids, and avoiding any harsh movements or physical activity. It is also advised that you have someone nearby to keep an eye on you during this part of your recovery.
1 week after rhinoplasty surgery
It is normal to experience swelling around the nose and eyes after your rhinoplasty surgery. The first-week post-surgery should be spent using cold compresses to reduce this swelling and ease any pain you may be feeling. You should also take any prescribed pain medication that you may have been given to aid your recovery. During the first week, you must limit exercise and rest whenever you can.
After the first week
After your first week of recovery, swelling and bruising may start to go down and you may start to notice the shape of your new nose. In most cases, the final shape is most visible from 6 weeks post-surgery. Until the end of the second week, your nose should not be bumped or harmed in any way and intense exercise is not recommended until 30 days post-surgery.
If you wear glasses, you should try to find alternative solutions until at least one month after surgery. Wearing glasses could bump your nose or place too much pressure onto your healing nose. If glasses must be worn, tape the bridge of your glasses to your forehead to remove some of the pressure off of the nose.
Rhinoplasty recovery will take a different amount of time for each individual, however, making sure to follow correct aftercare practices is a great way to speed up the healing process. Always ask your surgeon for advice following your surgery to ensure that you are doing all of the correct practices.
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If you have any questions about the rhinoplasty procedure or would like to book a consultation, get in touch with us today.