One year and two months after rhinoplasty and my nose is still swollen. Is this normal? I feel like it's also slanted.

Question

I had a lot of swelling after my rhinoplasty so I was recommended by someone else to tape my nose in order to help the swelling. It helped a lot especially during the night. One year and two months on I decided to stop taping and this morning I woke Up with a huge swelled up nose. How is this possible after so long. Is there something I can do? Is this normal?

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.  The dorsal aspect of the bridge of the nose will usually decrease earlier than the nasal tip swelling.  Nasal tip swelling can sometimes take 6-12 months to fully resolve.  I advise patients that the final result of rhinoplasty takes 12 months.  I recommend that you return to see your surgeon, as he/she will have a good idea of what to expect in regards to your specific progress, since they can evaluate you in relation to your preoperative appearance.Best wishes and good luckRichard G. Reish, M.D.Harvard-trained Plastic Surgeon

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Swelling usually goes away after about 12 months, but there are some that can take longer. Best of luck.

Andrew Kornstein, MD, FACS · Answer

Is your nose much smaller now as opposed to pre-op?Do you have very thick nasal tip skin?If your nasal structures were reduced more than the skin could accommodate, the skin is unsupported and swelling will go up and down.If your nasal tip skin is very thick,  the skin will also fail to derive support from the underlying nasal structures.You can try Ultherapy to shrink the skin, or you may require a nasal revision to provide more support(and address the slanting you mentioned) with cartilage grafting.Hope this helps.Summary: While healing of the upper nose is relatively rapid because of the thinner skin quality, healing of nasal tip takes significantly longer. Therefore, the anticipated result may lay dormant for many months and sometimes years and in certain cases is never revealed. Typically steroids are used to “shrink” the nasal tip skin. In actuality the steroids help to remodel the scar tissue that occupies the space between the nasal skin and the tip cartilages. Ultherapy® may be more effective in that it has the ability to remodel scar tissue, shrink skin and enhance tissue elasticity. This article is in the top ten in its category since 2013.

Jordan Rihani, MD · Answer

Hello Madison X - at this point I would probably see someone experienced in rhinoplasty to assess your nose and what your issues are. It is possible you still have some swelling, but not likely there is enough to make a dramatic effect on your nasal appearance.

One year and two months after rhinoplasty and my nose is still swollen. Is this normal? I feel like it's also slanted.

Answers (4)

Answer: Swelling after rhinoplasty - what to expect

Answer: Swelling after rhinoplasty - what to expect

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One year and two months after rhinoplasty and my nose is still swollen. Is this normal? I feel like it's also slanted.

Answers (4)

Answer: Swelling after rhinoplasty - what to expect

Answer: Swelling after rhinoplasty - what to expect

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.