When Did Swelling Go Down After Your Rhinoplasty Surgery?

2 weeks after Rhinoplasty is still the infancy of healing. So, try to be optimistic and patient at this stage of the game.
Several things should be remembered while you are awaiting your long term (and enduring) result.
The cast and tape is placed to reduce rhinoplasty swelling over the first week. It does this by holding the tissues down tightly to the underlying cartilage and bone. As such, there is often a little swelling that comes out after it is removed.
Besides the cast issue, most rhinoplasty is reductive in nature, meaning that the height of the nose is reduced. When looking from the front, this can often give the impression of widening or a persistent bump in the early post operative period. Here's why:

The perception of nasal width from frontal view has to do with the interplay of shadow, highlight, and shadow as one moves across the nose.
The places where bone is broken in many reductive rhinoplasties is the side of the nasal bones below the eyes and the central portion of the nose where a hump is removed.
Bones heal by initially forming what is called a callus, which stabilizes the 2 adjacent segments across a break. This callus is thicker than the final bone that will be there after healing is complete.
Callus gets replaced by normal bone over the first few months after surgery.
Therefore, it will take more time for shadows to reappear along the side of the nose than for other swelling to go down. This diminishes the contrast between the top of the nose and the shadow, creating the perception of widening. This will improve over time.
The area where your bump was is also healing in the same manner, so be patient. It will flatten with time.

Finally, depending on your skin thickness, the nasal tip may take longer for the skin to redrape and assume a narrower configuration.

Hello and thank you for your question. Since you are only two weeks after surgery, it is very normal and expected to be very swolllen. The final results take at least 1.5 years for the swelling to fully resolve. This can require lots of patience and waiting. Steroid injections performed by your surgeon can be extremely helpful. I usually start steroid injections around 1 to 2 months after surgery and continue as needed. Most patients are able to return to work and resume exercise one week after surgery. I recommend that you maintain close follow up with your surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

The length of time it takes for swelling to go down after rhinoplasty surgery can vary from person to person. There are many variables to include your affinity to bruise and swell, thickness of the skin, the amount of work that was done to the nose, surgical approach and medications that are administered around time and after surgery. Generally, the majority of swelling subsides within the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, but it may take several months for all swelling to completely resolve.

Immediately after surgery, there will be significant swelling and bruising around the nose and eyes, which can last for a week or two. During this time, it's important to follow your surgeon's post-operative instructions carefully to help reduce swelling and promote healing, such as keeping your head elevated, applying cold compresses, and avoiding strenuous activity. Arnica Montana and oral steroids can sometimes reduce the duration of swelling.

After the initial few weeks, the swelling will gradually decrease, and most patients are able to return to their normal daily activities within a few weeks to a month after surgery. However, it can take up to six months to a year for all residual swelling to resolve, and for the final results of the surgery to become fully apparent. Sometimes a surgeon will inject a steroid into the nose to help reduce the swelling. This is done on a case by case basis.

It's important to be patient during the recovery process and to follow all of your surgeon's instructions for optimal healing and the best possible outcome.