How Long Does Swelling Last After Rhinoplasty Surgery?

Kendra, It sounds like you are going through the normal course of healing that everyone experiences. The swelling around the bony area of the nose always resolves quicker as the skin and soft tissue is thinner. Around the tip, the skin is not only thicker, but it is the most dependent area of the nose so swelling always takes longer to resolve. Just be patient and give it time. If you are not sure, take a picture of your nose at one month after surgery and at six months after surgery... more

After Rhinoplasty, it can take up to a year or longer for the tissues to completely settle and the swelling to resolve. While the majority of the swelling resolves within the first few months, the tissues continue to change over the next year.

It is VERY normal to have swelling at this stage after surgery. Although the length of time for swelling to resolve after rhinoplasty varies among patients (some taking up to 2 years), I tell my patients that swelling will resolve across the dorsum (bridge) in 6 months, while the tip and sidewalls (region where glasses sit) take 12 months. If you had an open procedure, tip edema tends to take a bit longer than for a closed rhinoplasty. You are now at the stage where you sit back, relax,... more

Dear Kendra, I am sorry to say that in no case is the swelling gone in two weeks. Even if you were punched in the cheek, the swelling would take longer than two weeks to completely go away. On the nose, where a small amount of swelling can be visualized, at two weeks you have a long way to go. Furthermore, the tip tends to remain swollen longer than the other parts of the nose. Best of Luck!

The tip will feel thicker, hard, and woody in the postoperative phase for the first couple of months due to lymphatic edema, scar tissue and healing that has not completely subsided yet. The tip will look bigger for the first couple of weeks until the swelling comes down.