After Rhinoplasty, how long until I can move my nose or touch it like you would a “natural” nose?

Question

When I say move, I mean like goofily as we all sometimes do. Like, scrunch up your nose, or move it around with your hands, make it look like a pig’s, etc. Can one even do such things with their nose again without risking ruining your nose after getting a rhinoplasty?

Luis A. Mejia, MD · Answer

hello thank you for your question and provided information as well... based in your question every patients and every body are different , but approximately when the swollen going down like around 6-8 weeks

Jeffrey R. Raval, MD, FACS, MBA · Answer

Hello, thank you for the question. I strongly encourage you follow the post-op guidelines laid out by your board-certified surgeon as the answer to your question definitely varies from patient to patient. Depending on your healing process, it could be around 6 months before your surgeon clears you to make any movements of your nose like you are describing. I would follow-up with your surgeon with your questions.

Suleyman Tas, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

Dear Realself user,First of all it is important if you are going to have an open or closed technique rhinoplasty. with an open technique there is a big chance your nose tip is not flexible enough to play with it like you wish. but with an closed technique the flexibility will come back after all the swelling has been gone. Usually it takes up to a year for the nose to set completely.Best regards,

TAS Aesthetic Surgery Clinic

TAS Aesthetic Surgery Clinic

Gary Motykie, MD · Answer

It can take up to 6 months or more to completely heal from rhinoplasty so you do not want to do anything that interferes with the healing process. The bones in the nose are still very fragile during the healing phase so you might not be able to ‘scrunch’ your nose or move it around with your hands freely for several months. I recommend speaking with your surgeon about estimated recovery time for your particular case.

Farhad Ardesh, MD · Answer

You should follow your  surgeon's specific instructions. All rhinoplasties are not the same and instructions differ based on the type of rhinoplasty that was performed. In general, I allow patients to gently wash nose skin at 1 week, wear glasses directly on skin around 6-8 weeks. I clear my patient's to free touch and wiggle their nose with their fingers on an individual basis. This may be between at 6 months for minor rhinoplasties or well after a year in complex revision rhinoplasties. It is critical that in the first few months after rhinoplasty that you avoid trauma to the nose because the grafts, and bones are still fragile and need time to stabilize. But yes you will be able to manipulate your nose at some point after rhinoplasty. At the same time I recommend that you do not take unnecessary risks. I hope this help. Dr. Ardeshirpour

After Rhinoplasty, how long until I can move my nose or touch it like you would a “natural” nose?

Answers (5)

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