Patients can resume normal social activities two weeks after rhinoplasty

Patients are able to get back to their normal social activities within two weeks following a rhinoplasty; most of the bruising is faded by then. After a month post rhinoplasty, approximately 70% to 80% of the swelling is gone out of the tip of the nose. The remainder of that swelling is going to take at least a year to go away for full healing effects.

The healing period very much depends on the individual patient and the exact procedure performed. For a "simple" rhinoplasty where perhaps a small hump is removed and some minor tip work performed, the 85% would be fairly typical. For a more complex procedure in a thick skinned person for example the final result won't be apparent for a year or more.

Generally, the tip swelling is the last to resolve. Surgeons such as Tardy have shown with long term follow-up that changes take place for decades after the procedure. In general we advise our patients that by 4-8 weeks they have a pretty good idea of the outcome but that it takes a year or more for the final result.