Stuart Rhinoplasty doctors

Specifically related to diving, there are two concerns: pressure from your mask and pressure from clearing your ears. The pressure from your mask may aggravate swelling and would not be recommended for a minimum of 6 weeks. This is particularly true if the bones were moved in your nose. The pressure generated to open your ears when equalizing may cause bleeding up to 4 weeks after surgery. To be on the safe side, I would recommend at least 8-10 weeks off prior to diving again.

In general, activity is generally restricted to non-strenuous activity for the first 3-4 weeks. In particular, avoid any activity which could cause a direct impact to your nose. Swelling recedes for the most part by 3 months, but may persist for 6 months or longer. Resumption of full activity is at about 6-8 weeks.

Breathing problems after a cosmetic rhinoplasty should not typically occur. In the immediate recovery period there may be packing in the nose, blood or mucous buildup, and swelling which will definitely impact breathing. However, as the nose heals and swelling improves, breathing should return to preoperative levels.

Prior to undergoing any nose surgery, a careful examination of the function of the nose is imperative. You surgeon should check for evidence of breathing obstruction or potential for breathing complications. For instance, in some patients with large bumps on the nose care must be taken when reducing the bump. This may lead to breathing obstruction. However, if recognized prior to surgery, your surgeon may suggest cartilage grafts to open up these areas to prevent the obstruction.

A graft is tissue that is taken from one part of the body and transplanted to another. Grafts can be made of almost anything - skin, fat, cartilage, bone. In rhinoplasty or nose surgery, a graft is used to add structure to the nose or to support the functional portions of a nose (to help you breathe).

A simple way to view the nose is that most of the contours, the projections, and the size of a nose are formed by the underlying bone and cartilage. This is known as the "framework" of the nose. The skin and the fat which sit atop this framework are basically a cover. For the most part, in rhinoplasty surgery, the goal is to alter the framework to shape the nose. When you want to make things smaller, you simply remove some of the framework. When you want to accentuate areas, you often need grafts. These grafts are usually cartilage grafts and can come from your septum (in your nose), your ears, and even your ribs. By shaping and molding the cartilage grafts, a specific form can be created. In some instances you can even place the cartilage in such a way as to improve breathing in the nose.

Although this is a simplified description, I hope it gives you a basic understanding of grafts. Keep in mind though, an implant is not a graft. An implant is a foreign substance (silicone, gortex, etc.). Whereas grafts usually become incorporated into the normal architecture of your nose, an implant does not. This is not to say that one is better than the other, but you should know the difference if you are going to have surgery.