Is There Still Swelling 7 Months After a Rhinoplasty?

After rhinoplasty, tip shape is typically the last thing to settle before seeing the final result; this can take 12 months or longer. During this time you will notice that the size of your tip decreases as swelling resolves and subtle details and tip definition appear. Although at 7 months following rhinoplasty, you are seeing many of the changes resulting from surgery, the tip can still be quite swollen and this is typically exaggerated in the thick skinned patients. Recovery after rhinoplasty will vary based on the person, characteristics of the nasal tissues and what was done during surgery. It can take somewhere in and around 12-18 months to see the final results. The areas with thicker skin in the nose such as the tip, alar rims and radix will require longer to settle. Also there appears to be a linear decrease in swelling for the first several months followed by a period where the swelling fluctuates (sometimes little or no swelling and other times more swelling) before the nose settles. Steroid injections can help reduce excessive and protracted swelling secondary to scarring. However, steroids should be used judiciously as they can have some deleterious side effects.

It’s not unusual for patients undergoing rhinoplasty to have prolonged swelling.  Several factors including the use of open rhinoplasty, fracture of the nasal bones, thickness of the nasal skin and a previous rhinoplasty have been associated with prolonged swelling.

            This swelling can adversely impact the aesthetic result and in some cases cause difficulty breathing through the nose.  Most patients will note significant swelling for about two to three weeks following surgery.  After two weeks, most patients are comfortable resuming their normal lives and going out in public.

            Swelling will persist in most patients for at least one year following surgery, with the nasal tip being the last site to experience resolution.  For this reason it’s important to be patient and maintain good communication with your surgeon.  

In general, swelling after rhinoplasty takes months and months to fully resolve, and the tip takes the longest to resolve. You should wait at least a year before considering revision rhinoplasty.