ive had my rhinoplasty done on december of 2014, so its been a while now. my surgeon told me it would take a whole year to heal but honestly to this day my tip still feels hard, while my nose was extremely soft before the surgery, i cant really move the tip or squeeze it or whatsoever, it also still looks a little more swollen than what it should to me. So i was wondering, how long does it REALLY take for the nose to heal? How will i be able to tell when its fully recovered?
Answer
Hello there,I think the hardest part for a patient is the recovery period after a rhinoplasty. I tell all my patients that a nose is only 70% healed after 1 year and that it takes a long time for the swelling to slowly go away and that swelling in the tip lasts the longest. I am also not surprised that your tip feels hard. During rhinoplasty surgery, we have to provide extra support to your nasal tip such as placing cartilage so that your nasal tip does not drop after surgery. Your nasal tip may become a little softer but I don't think it will be as soft as before surgery. Hang in there! You are still early on in the recovery period. Don't be surprised if your nose continues to improve over the the years. Best of luck!
Dr. Jacqueline T. Cheng, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Answer
Two years after a rhinoplasty procedure, the nose is fully healed. The hardness that you're feeling may be related to cartilage grafts that were placed in the nose. Best to check with your operative surgeon to find out what was accomplished during your rhinoplasty procedure.
Dr. William Portuese, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Answer
Healing from open rhinoplasty takes anywhere from 6 months to 1.5 years depending on your intrinsic healing speed and the amount of dissection done during surgery. I have had patients who noted a small amount of swelling which came and went all the way up to 1.5 years out. As for the firmness, I would talk to your surgeon. Often surgeons will make the tip more firm than before surgery. This is to prevent it from moving or changing shape as the forces of healing act on the tip to twist it or contract it. I routinely tell my patients that their tip will feel more firm and woody after surgery. Additionally, your surgeon will be able to tell you whether the tip is larger than they designed or whether this is what you should expect.
Dr. Aric K. Park, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Answer
Thank you for your question. Depending on the type of rhinoplasty done, it typically takes about 6 months to a year for a majority of the swelling to go down. However, the nose can still have small changes for many years after surgery. In terms of the tip of the nose, it could be scar or cartilage grafting that was placed and this gives the nose a more solid feeling then before surgery. I would visit your surgeon to make sure your healing is going well. Good luck.
Dr. Michael Bublik, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
