Bleeding 9 Days After Rhinoplasty

Question

I am 9 days post op, and today i felt a little wetness in my nose and i thought it was phlegm. I used my q-tip to try to clean it, and I noticed it was blood. It's not dripping but I can feel it right under the tip inside my nostril. Is this normal?? What could be the cause and what is the remedy?

Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACS · Answer

Generally speaking, it can take 6 to 12 months to completely heal after surgery. Please keep in touch with your surgeon or his/her clinical team to discuss your ongoing concerns.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

You probably hit a suture line. Use vaseline GENTLY in the area and see your surgeon if it continues.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

You should be discussing this with your surgeon. Typically you may have disrupted suture line. However, some people with bleeding disorders experience bleeding 7-10 days after surgery. Ths may require an evaluation.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

The are many potential reasons why you could see bleeding after nose surgery. Moreover, there is a huge difference between a little wetness and ongoing active bleeding. The most common reason, which is probably what happened to you, is interfering with the edge of the incision or one of the dissolving stitches inside the nose. For this reason we tell our patient NOT to pick or instrument their noses and allow the stitches to fall out by themselves.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Bleeding after rhinoplasty is can occur.  This may be from the suture line.  Leave the crust alone or use a small amount of neosporin/bacitracin to loosen it up.  If it persists see your doctor.

Bleeding 9 Days After Rhinoplasty

Answers (8)