Ask a doctor

Cold sore outbreak during rhinoplasty recovery?

I am prone to cold sores on my nose when i am stressed, run down or have a runny nose for a few days. I am booked to have Rhinoplasty in Sept. I read that even a knock or cut can trigger the virus outbreak. So my question is will the Rhoniplasty trigger an outbreak of cold sores on my nose? Resulting in a big infected cold sore mess to be discovered when they take the plaster off?

Doctor Answers 2

July 24th, 2016

Prevention

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Hi:
Thanks for your question. Its a good point. Rhinoplasty or any procedure on an area that is prone to herpes outbreak can result in a re-activation of the virus. The good new is that the treatment (pre-treatment with an anti-viral) is very very safe and standard in procedures like peels or lasers. I would contact your provider and ask for an RX that you would take starting a few days prior to your procedure
Benjamin C. Marcus, MD


Madison Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.7 out of 5 stars 44 reviews

July 24th, 2016

Cold sores after rhinoplasty.

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Yes any surgery can stir up cold sores unfortunately. Since rhinoplasty is surgery and causes trauma (controlled trauma!) to the body, it too can be the cause of them. Is it common? No, it's very uncommon in fact. I've seen it once in thousands of rhinoplasties and there it had started a few days before her surgery from the stress of thinking about it! It had no effect on the eventual outcome, but her recovery was a bit worse than had it not happened.
Oakley Smith, MD, FRCSC
*Treatment results may vary

Related content

View all Rhinoplasty reviews

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.