Tips for Rhinoplasty Recovery?

Everybody recovers differently following surgery. Patients generally follow a "bell curve" when it comes to post operative recovery with the majority of patients falling into the uneventful category. To insure that your recovery and surgical outcome go as smoothly as possible it is important to follow your surgeon's guidelines. Decrease your activity level, the use of ice, arnica, and head elevation at night have helped with my patient's post-operative course. Healing takes a... more

A good post-op result also depends on good pre-op preparation. Patients need to be in good health with good nutrition. This means get your rest and eat appropriately. A surgical patient's body will need the energy and the nutrients to heal. I have my patients avoid blood thinners (aspirin and the like), avoid vitamin E, and avoid most if not all supplements at least a week pre-op. And it should go without saying that being nicotine-free is essential! For post-op, it's really a matter of... more

It is important to discontinue the use of any aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, and herbal supplements two weeks before and two weeks after your rhinoplasty surgery. It is acceptable to be active but no true exercise for two weeks after the surgery. It is also important not to have any packing placed inside your nose.

Make sure you understand everything related to post-op care before you actually undergo the surgery. Ask your surgeon to allow you to talk to a previous patient of theirs to find out tips. Generically try to avoid overdoing it in the first week, stay elevated at all times, avoid blowing your nose, do not rub at the base of your nose with a tissue or your hands, and avoid medications that might make you nauseated or those which might cause blleding. And above all do not bend at the waist... more

Rhinoplasty is pretty easy physiologically on the patient. There's almost no blood loss and surprisingly little post-operative pain. The problem with rhinoplasty is that it is a hard operation to do and get predictably good results. If you have chose a good surgeon, you have nothing to worry about. Convalescence will be a snap. vz