Will my nose job permanently affect my smile?

I just had rhinoplasty a week ago and today my surgeon removed the bandage, splint and stitches. I just tried smiling and realized that I can't smile. My upper lip stretches out and it looks really strange. I'm really, really worried. Will I be able to smile normally again? Will my smile look the same?

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11 answers to “Will my nose job permanently affect...”

A: Not permanently.

William Portuese, MD

The smile will be very minimally affected for the first few weeks after the surgery because of the stiffness of the upper lip due to swelling from the rhinoplasty. This will subside within the first couple of weeks after the surgery and will not be a permanent problem.

A: One week is a moment in the lifetime

Robert M. Freund, MD

At one week, your lip is swollen, your nose is swollen and your smile will feel unnatural, just as you have described. Relax and enjoy the good stuff to come!

A: Smile affected by nose job

Michael A. Persky, MD

Hi MT, It sounds like the muscles of your upper lip were freed up from the connections to the tip of your nose.  This is the most common reason for the upper lip to hang down a little more than usual over your upper teeth, and also affect your smile following rhinoplasty.  We often times perform... more

A: Keep smiling

Kenneth R. Francis, MD

MT, One week out from your surgery is very early.  There are many reasons why your smile may look different.  I hope you asked your surgeon, as he/she may have performed something additional that would affect the smile directly.  Things will change over the next weeks to months, so be patient... more

A: Probably just swelling at this point

Stella Desyatnikova, MD

It would be extremely unlikely for a rhinoplasty to affect you smile in a permanent way. There is usually swelling, sometimes quite a bit, and it can temporarily change your smile, make you upper lip numb, etc. I would ask your surgeon about it, but most likely this will go away in several weeks.

A: Your smile will return after rhinoplasty

Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Mt, It is quite common for the smile to be affected right after a Rhinoplasty. There are muscles right beneath the tip of your nose that are sometimes affected by the surgery. In a few weeks, your smile will look more normal.

A: Try not to get overly worried at this point.

Robert J. Chiu, MD

During a rhinoplasty procedure, structures can be altered/changed that could affect a smile, and sometimes this is desirable and planned.  Having said that, I think that most likely you are still having some swelling in the area and should wait for the initial swelling to go down--don't get overly... more

A: Your smile should return.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD

This is a question you should ask your surgeon - he/she knows what was done and if it will affect your smile, but in general, you are still very swolen and your facial muscles should return to normal as the swelling goes down. Remember, it takes a full year to see the final result with a rhinoplasty.

A: It is too soon to tell

David Shafer, MD

You just had surgery and likely have swelling. It really is too soon for you to get worried. Talk to you surgeon and express your concerns. However, you will likely see improvement over the next several days to weeks. Hang in there... more

A: Smiling after Rhinoplasty

Steven Wallach, MD

After a Rhinoplasty, especially one week later, there is still alot of swelling. This will impact the sensitivity of the tip, the stiffness of the tip, and the upper lip. All these things usually get better with time. It can take a few weeks for the lip but may take months for the nose.

More answers to Will my nose job permanently affect my smile?
Southlake - Discuss with your doctor, but you should be fine
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