How long is a typical recovery from a septoplasty, reduction and rhinoplasty procedure? How long would I have to be out of work?

There is some degree of bruising and swelling around your eyes and in your cheeks after rhinoplasty surgery. With artful concealer, most of our patients may leave our office after their "reveal" 7 days postoperative, and go out for lunch with a friend without calling attention. Hope this helps! Dr Joseph

Hello,
Depending on the type of rhinoplasty and the amount of work done dictates how long someone recovers from a rhinoplasty. With saying that, 1 week post op you will be recovering with a cast over your nose (no cast if only breathing surgery performed).  Most patients require NO pain medication after day 1-2. You are surprisingly comfortable usually with little to no swelling and minimal to no bruising. ~50% of our patients get NO bruising at all; the other ~50% get minimal bruising that is usually completely gone by the day the cast comes off. 1-6 weeks post op includes you resuming all normal functional activities such as work, socializing and light physical activity. Heavy physical activity (running, jogging, heavy weight lifting, downward face poses for yoga/pilates) are restricted until after week 6. During this time the minor swelling of the nose will slowly start to subside (but even with the swelling, the nose generally still looks smaller than it did pre-operatively). 6 weeks to 1 year post op includes dorsum healing and final swelling to go down. 
Best of luck,
Deepak Dugar, MD
Scarless Rhinoplasty Expert
Beverly Hills, CA 90210