How long After tiplasty & turbinate surgery do smell & taste come back?

 Taste and smell usually return this in the swelling subsides in the nose so that airflow can get into the areas of the nose. The olfactory areas of the nose are located very high up in the sinus cavity and nasal cavity.

Any nose surgery can effect your sense of smell and taste particularly if work was performed on the septum or turbinates. If you already had a source of swelling (allergies) prior to surgery then you are more prone to having smell and taste disturbances. Most often this your sense of smell and taste should return to normal when all of the swelling has gone down. This can take from several months to up to one year. I would recommend some things to decrease the swelling if you are not already on medications. These are a nasal steroid spray, saline irrigation of the nose, and oral antihistamines (Zyrtec, Allergra, Claritin, etc.). Occasionally, the taste and smell disturbances do not recover. I would speak to your ENT to discuss what other options might be available to you to speed recovery of your smell and taste senses.

Rhinoplasty and turbinate surgery should not cause long term alterations in taste or smell. However, short term changes in smell or taste can be seen after nasal surgery due to swelling and temporary disturbances in nasal physiology.Nasal saline rinses may help speed resolution of your symptoms. Antibiotics or steroid sprays may also be needed if infection or allergy are present. You should be examined by your surgeon to make sure you are healing according to schedule.