What Causes Acne After Septoplasty?

Question

I had septoplasty/turbinectomy about 4 months ago. No other surgeries involved. About a week after surgery I started breaking out- all over my entire face. Prior to surgery, I had hormonal breakouts but nothing severe. Now, The breakouts are constant, and hard to get rid of. The pores on my nose are extremely large and I have tons of blackheads. I've tried everything under the sun to control this to no avail. What could have caused this?

Steven J. Pearlman, MD, FACS · Answer

There are a number of reasons why you might get acne breakouts after septorhinoplasty or even septoplasty alone. Following rhinoplasty the nose is under tape for a week, followed by little to no cleansing of the skin. That alone can wreak havoc on acne prone skin.

	Other potential causes for acne breakouts may be

	
		harsh soaps used to prep the face for surgery
	
		poor or no face washing for weeks following surgery, afraid to touch your face
	
		antibiotics given can change the body's "flora" of naturally present bacteria and allow "bad' bacteria to overgrow
	
		skin undermining and manipulation of the skin can alter the environment

What Causes Acne After Septoplasty?

Answers (1)