Is it possible to have the chemical peel a couple of days after the rhinoplasty?

Dear Jinnyg

It is often possible to combine more than one service and take advantage of down time associated with surgical recovery.  Keep in mind that is often necessary to break nasal bones during a rhinoplasty.  The taping you see on the nose after surgery is actually a cast designed to stablize the bones.  However, once the dressing has been removed it is possible that your surgeon might agree to perform a chemical peel.  Great care needs to be used in this process so as not to compromise the healing nose.

Yes, it is possible to have a medium or lighter peel as long as the area being peeled is outside of the junction between your nose and your cheeks.  If the peel will involve the lower eyelids, you may want to see how how much swelling and bruising you have after your rhinoplasty to see whether or not your eyelids are too bruised to accomodate a peel, which is unlikely.

Dear Jinnyg,

Often, you can do both a rhinoplasty and a peel together as long as it is a light peel. With a medium or deep peel, the skin is much more sensitive, so you would not be able to safely tape the dressings from the rhinoplasty (the ones that you wear under your nose), onto the cheek skin. 

Light peels have virtually no recovery time (that's why they are called lunchtime peels!).  Sometimes light peels can be done on the nose 1 week after the cast is removed, to take away any residual glue from the tape and cast, to open clogged pores,  and to even out the texture of the skin. 

I hope this helps!

Dr. Michelle Yagoda, NYC