Recovery Time for Deviated Septum Surgery

Septoplasty does not change the appearance of the nose, as it just improves the deviations of nasal septum (midwall partition of the nose) internally. Bruising, swelling and discoloration seen following a rhinoplasty (nose job) is related to dissections and manipulations related to the nasal pyramid bones and cartilages. From a recovery standpoint, following a septoplasty for a few days minor oozing of blood can be excepted and depending on the practice of the surgeon an internal splint of variable size, shape or color can be excepted to be used. Most surgeons will remove the splints by around one week time post operatively and that will be the time line that most patients can resume normal activity and work.  

Recovery after a deviated septum can be pretty short especially if nasal splints are not used. If nasal splints are not used, most people are presentable in a couple of days. The bleeding or "oozing" stops a couple of days after surgery so a dressing under your nose is not needed after that time. There should be minimal swelling to the outside of your nose since most septoplasty is done through and internal incision, however, if the deviation is bad then the surgeon may elect to make an incision between the nostrils. The incision will take a week to a couple of weeks then will slowly fade with time. I splints are placed they typically stay in for about 1 week, during that time they may be slightly visible or the stitch that holds them in placed will be visible. In terms of the bruising, there should be minimal to no bruising. Bruising is a results of manipulation of the external aspects of the nose like in a rhinoplasty.

Most patients can be back to work in a few days as long as you are not getting a rhinoplasty/nosejob. The incisions are fully inside the nose and there is almost no chance of black and blue. There is no external cast. As I tell my patients, two days after surgery, your mother wouldn't know you had surgery from looking at you. What patients cannot do is any lifting or straining for three weeks. Also the nose may have some crusting or dripping for a week or two.

Recovery after surgery for deviated septum (septoplasty) is generally fairly quick. Performing septoplasty alone does not require any work to be performed on the external portion of the nose, and therefore any visible bruising or swelling is quite rare. You will have some nasal congestion from swelling inside the nose, and you may have some blood-tinged drainage from the nose for the first 2-3 days after surgery, but this would be the only issue that might make you feel like you weren't yet presentable in public. Many patients have some discomfort that is best controlled by narcotic pain medication for the first couple of days, but once you are no longer taking narcotic medication you should be able to drive and go about your other daily activities. I tell my patients to wait at least a week before getting back to strenuous activity such as running or lifting weights.
Sometimes, if there are other nasal deformities in addition to the deviated septum that need to be addressed at the same time, you may require septoplasty and rhinoplasty (or septorhinoplasty), which involves changing the shape of the nose and is typically associated with more external bruising and swelling, including possible bruising below the eyes. It is best to consult with a board-certified surgeon who has specialized expertise in nasal surgery in order to determine which procedure is best for you.
Best wishes,

If the surgery was only for the septum, there is usually no bruising exteriorly. You may have some bleeding from the nose for a few days as well as congestion, but the appearance of the face is usually normal.

Hello and thanks for the question.  I generally advise patients to take 1 week off after septoplasty.  During this week you will feel mostly normal; you will be able to walk, talk, eat and drink normally.  You will be able to drive if not taking pain medications. Generally pain is not a major issue.  Some patients are back to work within 3-5 days.
The nose is very stuff for about 1-3 weeks and airflow improves slowly.  Using saline nasal sprays and irrigations helps.  There is usually no facial or eye swelling or bruising after septoplasty alone.  If septoplasty is being combined with rhinoplasty then recovery is a bit longer and there is usually swelling and bruising.  
Hope that helps and good luck.

Hello and thanks for your question.
Septoplasty is a procedure which can improve the structure and architecture of the dividing tissue between the two sides of the nose. Deviation or deflection or tilt of septum can lead to breathing difficulty. The surgery requires few days for recovery,  and can cause some discomfort. However, it responds nicely to pain medication. We use a soft splint which speeds up recovery. Sleep with head of bed elevated and follow all your surgeon's instructions. We ask our patients to take certain supplements that speeds up the recovery.
Most pateints are very pleased with the improvement in the breathing.
Please note that a number of factors can lead to breathing difficulty through the nose.
Given that the nose and nasal breathing passages are three dimensional structures, a complete examination is needed to determine the diagnosis and the exact reason for breathing difficulty. In our office we used a headlight and other instrument to come up with the exact cause for this issue.  
The following are the 3 main reason for mouth breathing and difficulty breathing through the nose:
1. Septal deviation
2. Turbinate enlargement
3. Nasal Valve collapse
4. Major allergic rhinitis
5. Any combination of the above.
For patients who are searching for answer regarding above or septoplasty, I would highly recommend visiting a few plastic surgeons who specialize in this exacting and artistic procedure. In our office we provide patients with a personalized, individualized and complementary consultation to address these similar issues.
For more information and many before and after examples please see the link below.
Best wishes and good luck.
Dr. Sajjadian

Septoplasty is almost always performed through the nostrils without making external incisions.  It is rare that there would be any bruising around the eyes from septoplasty alone.  There is also very little (if any) external swelling.  Keep in mind that there may be nasal congestion and bloody drainage from the nose for several days after septoplasty that may keep a patient from wanting to go out in public.
If a rhinoplasty is performed at the same time, there will be much more swelling and bruising.  The bruising from a rhinoplasty may take 1-2 weeks to resolve completely, and the swelling can last many months to resolve entirely.
All the best,

Recovery following septoplasty varies from patient to
patient and depends on several factors. These include the type of procedure
performed, the wound healing characteristics of the patient and the patient’s
employment and social situation.Following
septoplasty, patients have several concerns. They want to know when they will
feel better and look good enough to return to public, as well as when they can
resume normal and strenuous activities. They also want to know when residual
swelling will disappear and when their final result will be achieved.After
septoplasty, nasal packing is usually removed within 24 to 48 hours following
surgery. Internal nasal splints are typically removed in one to three weeks following
surgery if they’ve been utilized to stabilize nasal structures.Most
patients are surprised at how good they feel two to three days following
surgery. Depending upon their social situation and employment, many patients
don’t feel like going out in public for at least a week. This is primarily due
to the bruising and swelling which accompanies this procedure.Most
routine activities are resumed in seven to ten days and strenuous activities
can be resumed in four to six weeks following surgery. Small amounts of
residual swelling may persist for 3 to 4 months following septoplasty.Patients
typically find the first 24 hours of recovery difficult. Once the nasal packing
is removed they quickly feel better.

The recovery time for a septoplasty depends on the level of complexity of your septal reconstruction.  In some cases, a simple septoplasty can have downtime of 3 days with little to no external swelling and limited nasal obstruction early on.  More complex septal reconstructions can have longer periods of downtime, typically around one week.  In these cases, the nose may have other procedure performed at the same time as well and recovery would be closer to that of a rhinoplasty.