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Pain and Recovery Time Vary with Type of Rhinoplasty?

asked 3 years ago by vivi in China
Latest answer by William Portuese, MD
Question viewed 1,024 times
Tags: nose

Within traditional surgical Rhinoplasties, are there some that hurt more/require more time to heal? For example, would narrowing the nose hurt more than raising the nasal bridge? How about making nostrils smaller, or making the tip fuller? I've tried to look for more specific information, but most sites give answers that say moderate to severe pain, and 2 weeks recovery time for all Rhinoplasties.

12 answers to Pain and Recovery Time Vary with Type of Rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty; Surprisingly Little to No Pain

Hi Vivi,Rhinoplasty should not be a painful procedure no matter what type of procedures are carried out. Most patients complain of the pressure and uncomfortable sensation of having packing in their nostrils for 2 to 5 days following rhinoplasty. Many rhinoplasty surgeons no longer find it necessary to use post-operative nasal packing which makes the recovery period much easier for the patient. I tell my patients that they will feel some pressure, at worst sinus headache type pressure. I ask... more

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Not painful as long as packing is not placed inside the nose

The rhinoplasty procedure is not painful as long as packing is not placed inside the nose. If packing is placed inside the nose it will be a very painful operation. Nasal packing is no longer used and has not been used in our practice in over 20 years. Building up the nasal bridge is less painful than the actual osteotomies or narrowing of the nasal bones. Since it has been seven months after the rhinoplasty, the majority of swelling should be down at this point. If your surgeon told... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Pain should be minimal after rhinoplasty

Pain is one of the most difficult things to predict for any individual. However, compared to most procedures, rhinoplasty is minimally painful. Most don't require narcotic pain medication. Also, it shouldn't really matter if a certain change to the nose hurts more than another. You should plan your rhinoplasty based on what it will take to give you an aesthetically pleasing shape and most functional result, not what maneuvers are least painful! Don't worry about the pain. Good luck!... more

Parham Ganchi, MD
Wayne Plastic Surgeon

There should be little if any discomfort after Rhinoplasty

There should be very little discomfort after a routine Rhinoplasty regardless of the specific maneuvers required. Usually pain is caused by the use of intranasal packing. I have not used intranasal packing in over 25 years and I believe that is the current trend.

S. Randolph Waldman, MD
Lexington Facial Plastic Surgeon

Depends on the surgery

I am always amazed by how little pain my patients feel after rhinoplasty. For some reason, most people don't have much pain associated with this operation. There is definitely some discomfort and mild pain. That is inevitable. However, what I have found is that it varies with how much work is done. Also, in general, work done on the bone causes more discomfort and recovery than the other areas. Thus, someone with a large and wide bony bridge of the nose will require substantial rasping and... more

John Diaz, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

It depends on the surgeon and the surgery.

Nasal surgery should have the most minimal amount of pain. The most common complaint of our nasal surgery patients is Discomfort--not pain. There is less swelling if you do not have to break the nasal bones.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Pain and recovery after rhinoplasty

The longer the procedure the more pain and recovery time. To do a simple hump reduction and osteotomies takes very little time and doesn't have much post-operative pain. The recovery to looking better is essentially immediate. Once you start opening the nose and manipulating the tip or septum the discomfort increases as does the recovery. The nose can still look better immediately after splint removal, but it will take longer to look great. In general even after this kind of surgery... more

Edward Buckingham, MD
Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

Pain after rhinoplasty is minimal when there is no nasal packing.

Dear Vivi, Most of my Rhinoplasty patients do not use the pain meds prescribed. Most post-surgical pain is related to packing. If no packing is placed, there is very little discomfort. In my experience, the type of surgery performed on the nose does not influence the level of pain afterwards. I hope this helps, and best regards.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.ericmjoseph.com

In general, the more manipulation the more pain and discomfort

This is a general rule. The technique used also makes a big difference. When your procedure is done through the natural planes the pain is less because less nerves are involved. But as a whole, the more you do the more sensitive the procedure is. The area that is worked on also makes a difference. The whole face is more senstive than other body parts. The nose is less sensitive than the lips and eyes in general.

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Pain and recovery all depends on the amount of work you get done on your nose. Small touch-ups are easier than major bone work, of course, but pain killers these days are fantastic at relieving pain. A typical rhinoplasty requires 1-2 weeks for recovery and the pain gets much better after 1 week. Good luck!

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Pain may vary a little, recovery generally does not

Hi, Most patients do not experience severe pain after a rhinoplasty. However, having the nose broken (which is very common when narrowing the nose) rather than just work on the tip can cause a little more discomfort during the initial week. During this period, patients may report pressure, throbbing, and headaches, which all typically resolve within the first few days. Raising the nasal bridge, changing nostril size, and changing the tip should be minimally painful. Regarding recovery,... more

Nina S. Naidu, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Don't worry!

Hi! In NYC, we do a fair number of nose jobs,and I can tell you that there is very little pain after any kind of rhinoplasty. Also, with gentle surgery, most patients are presentable in one week with a little make up.