I Will Be Flying 2 Days After my Nose Job. The Flight is 3 Hours Long, is This Safe?

Hi St,

What's your hurry?  I would not recommend a three hour flight for any of my rhinoplasty patients just two days after surgery.  For me, five days is the minimum before hitting the friendly skies.  I don't think that even a crow would fly two days after having a broken beak.  Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

Thanks for the question. You should be able to flying by 1-2 weeks after your surgery. But this is valid only with assuming postoperative recovery is uneventful. If any unexpected incident happens in your treatment process, this time can be extended or shortened. I wish you all the best.

Presuming that you are flying in a pressurized plane (any commercial airline), I think that you would be safe to fly presuming you do not have any other problems ahead of time.  You may want to consider taking a decongestant and your surgeon may also have you take a Medrol Dose Pack prior to air travel.

I would not recommend flying until your swelling resolves inside your nose. That would take at least 2 weeks.. Flying involves pressure changes and you will have to clear your ears through your eustachian tubes, which if you have swelling, could interfere with clearing your ears and could cause you lots of pain and a potential for barotrauma.

I also think that if you have problems away from home, you will have to be treated by someone that is not your primary surgeon.

In general, I advise patients not to fly for about a week after surgery.  However, never forget that every person should be considered on an individual basis.  If you only are having a minimal amount of tip work done and don't have osteotomies, there may not be a lot of swelling or congestion.  However, after rhinoplasty with osteotomies, turbinate work, or if it is done open, you are likely to have a lot of swelling.  2-3 days post op is when you will have maximal swelling!  The pressurized air in the plane will also increase congestion and increase your discomfort.  You'd probably want to be close to your plastic surgeon for the first week in case you have any post-op issues.