Advice needed: Please help me. Can I restore certain features of my nose prior to my first rhinoplasty in a revision?

Question

I had an open rhinoplasty about 5 week a ago and the cast removed about 4 weeks ago, I like certain things (e.g the bump has been removed) but I wish I never hadn’t it done as it has been too costly - too much change has occurred - I feel my nose looks piggy - I am aware swelling will create some change but not as much as I want it to!! I want the end / tip area to go back to how it was and my nostril shape to go back to how it was - is this possible? The tip was raised but I feel too much !

Greg Bran, MD, PhD · Answer

Hi there and thank you for your question. 5 weeks after rhinoplasty is still very early. Swelling is significant and has an impact on the entire appearance of the nose, the upper lip, the cheeks and your eyes. It is not unusual to struggle appreciating the changes and feeling good about them. Something that usually is not stressed enough is the fact that the weeks and months after your surgery are equally challenging for the patient like the surgery itself. Swelling is changing and this impacts the daily appearance of your nose. Swelling of the tip gives you an impression of too much rotation. Any swelling in your upper lip pushes the lip downwards, which gives you the impression of an even more rotated tip.
Make sure to see your surgeon on the scheduled follow-up appointments. Here are several suggestions that you might find helpful - we call them at our office the 3 Keepers:
Keep going: Avoid strenuous exercise so that your blood pressure does not increase unnecessarily (as this will add to the swelling and increase the risk of bleeding). Instead do 30 minutes walks twice per day, as this will help to reduce the swelling in your face/nose. You might also consider MLD (manual lymphatic drainage).
Keep cool: cool your cheeks/eyes and nose several times per day, as this will reduce the swelling. A good trick is to use damp cotton pads, and place them in your fridge - they are very light and will be able to cool your face without putting any weight on very sore tissue.
Keep it high: Make sure to have your head elevated whenever you lay down (i.e. in bed or on the couch). Just place another Pillow underneath your back/head.
Hope this helps. Hang in there. Good luck.
Kind regards, 
GB

Advice needed: Please help me. Can I restore certain features of my nose prior to my first rhinoplasty in a revision?

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Advice needed: Please help me. Can I restore certain features of my nose prior to my first rhinoplasty in a revision?

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Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

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