How Do I Know if I Have an Infection After Revision Rhinoplasty?

If you're concerned about an infection you should visit with your surgeon for an examination. A bump inside your nose could be due to other things, but it really would take a check up to determine what's going on.

At only a month and half following secondary rhinoplasty with rib cartilage, you are still very early in your recovery.  It is not uncommon to have a great deal of swelling at this point that can be palpable in certain areas.  This swelling does not always resolve symmetrically and may be more prominent on one side than the other.  It is also common to have still have some discomfort such as occasional stinging pain because cartilage takes a long time to completely heal.  There could also be scar tissue forming, especially following a revision rhinoplasty.  Sometimes scar formation or prolonged swelling can be addressed with steroid injection during the healing process.  Infection would typically present as redness, warmth, worsened pain, drainage with foul smell, fever, and overall not feeling well.  When these symptoms of infection are present, they warrant an immediate in-person physical examination.  I would recommend following up with your revision rhinoplasty surgeon to express your concerns.  Good communication between patient and surgeon is very important both before and after surgery.  Best of luck in your recovery!
Ziyad Hammoudeh, MD