Is It Okay to Clean Dried Blood Inside Nose a Day After Rhinoplasty?

I just had my rhinoplasty done yesterday and my doctor didn't put in any packing because he said that there was very minimal bleeding and it would make me more comfortable. So because of this, I had quite a bit of discharge and now that the bleeding has stopped, I have a lot of dried up blood inside my nostril. I've read that you can clean with hydrogen peroxide and water but I was wondering if the day after rhinoplasty is too soon to clean it? I don't want to injure anything in my nose...

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15 Doctor Answers | Asked by lc87612 in Washington, MI

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Cleaning up the day after rhinoplasty

The first day after rhinoplasty can be a bit messy. We too rarely place nasal packing and rely on a 'drip' dressing until the nose settles down. Clean soaks under the nose are fine, though stay well on the outside. The risk is bleeding, or aggravating swelling which can alter your result. Rest for a few days, clean up on the outside. Dab drainage or use a drip dressing for a few more days, and saline sprays can be used after the first week. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd more

Cleaning the nose

I don't want to interfere with our surgeon's usual regimen. Everyone does it a bit differently. His/her post op instructions are probably pretty specific. What we do is have you clean the inside of the nostrils with a 1/2 strength peroxide solution on a q-tip three times daily, followed by some saline spray and mupurocin ointment. The q-tip goes gently and just barely inside the nostril My nurse shows our patients how to do this on the first day after surgery.... more

Cleaning nose

Yes you can. I typically see all my patients on their first post op day to show them how to clean the dried blood from their nostrils. You want to get rid of the dry crusts which clog you up but not start new bleeding. Saline spray can help as well.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD

3 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.palmbeachface.com

Cleaning the nose after rhinoplasty

Yes. Patients should clean their nose after surgery. Use Q-tips and hydrogen peroxide several times a day. You can use water but its not as good. It will take several cleaning before all the mucous and dried blood have been removed. It gets easier every day as the amount of nasal discharge diminishes, you become more confident and the initial crusts are finally all removed. The riskof moving the nose and causing it to change its shape are very minimal and a reasonable person... more

Post Rhinoplasty Cleaning

The best thing would be to gently clean the area with a Qtip dipped in saline (salt water). Place a small amount of antibiotic ointment, such as Bacitracin, in the nostril twice a day. The moisture from the ointment helps loosen present scabbing and prevents new scabs from forming.

Best not to touch inside of nose after Rhinoplasty

Without specific instructions from your surgeon, it's best that you not place q tips or anything else inside your nose in an attempt to clean it right after a Rhinoplasty. You could disrupt stitches or cause a nose bleed. Better that you go have one of the nurses clean out your nose and give you specific post Rhinoplasty cleaning instructions.

Dried blood in the nose is normal after rhinoplasty

It is completely normal to have dried blood in the nose the day after rhinoplasty. Before you do anything, I would recommend that you contact your surgeon to see what his/her recommendation would be. While some surgeons encourage nasal hygiene during the first few days after surgery, others prefer that patients not insert anything inside the nose for the first few weeks. Personally, I usually see my patients the first day after surgery and clean out any dried blood. I continue to closely... more

Dried blood after rhinoplasty

It is normal to have dried blood at the nares after rhinoplasty. I have patients us nasal saline spray 4 times daily and clean the area gently with saline soaked gauze. This will help prevent further crusting and hopefully help you breath better. Donald R. Nunn MD Plastic Surgeon.

Donald Nunn, MD, DDS

3 reviews

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Keeping your nose clean and moist will speed the healing process

It is normal to have dried blood in your nose. The blood usually accumulates around some of the sutures inside your nose used to close the incisions. It is best to keep your nose moist by placing Vaseline or antibiotic ointment with a q tip inside your nostrils three times a day. This should be preceded by cleaning your nose with q-tips soaked in peroxide and sniffing saline spray. The peroxide will dissolve the bloody scabs and the ointment will prevent them... more

Accumulated dried blood in the nose one day following a rhinoplasty

An accumulationof dried blood inside the nose following a rhinoplasty is very common. It can also make breathing through your nose more difficult and is somewhat unsightly for some people. Prodding and poking around to remove this blood can lead to some consequences that you would not be very happy with including precipitating additional bleeding, breaking sutures and even disrupting some of the results. Instead, you should call your plastic surgeon and inform him of this issue. He can... more