How long will it take to recover after nasal tip refinement?

Recovery from nasal surgery has to do with many factors. In the tip, length of recovery and swelling depends on the approach used, the amount of changes made and also the thickness of the skin. In general, if only tip work is done, you can return to work fairly quickly. A closed approach leads to less swelling but the approach used should depend on the techniques needed, the anatomical issue, and the surgeon's comfort. In general, it takes a year for all of the swelling to resolve with 90% improvement in the first 3 months. The tip is the last place for the swelling to resolve if a full rhinoplasty is done. Good luck to you. 

Please be advised that the tip typically takes the longest time to heal and reduce swelling. What to Expect After Surgery- The first week after surgery you should rest your head in an elevated position to help minimize swelling. You may experience some bleeding, bruising and swelling, but this will subside over a few weeks.In addition to a nasal splint you will also have some packing inside the nose, which will be removed by your surgeon. Within 10 days after surgery, your swelling should reach its peak and begin to subside. You can apply makeup to conceal any bruising. Some moderate activity can be resumed, but nothing strenuous. Several weeks after the surgery you can resume most of your normal activities.Driving: 5-7 days.Non-contact sports: 3-4 weeks. (This includes jogging, swimming, hiking, etc.)Contact sports: 6 weeks. (This category includes tennis, skiing, football, basketball, etc.)Diving: 8-12 weeks.

a rough "rule of thumb" is to expect 80 to 90% of the swelling to be gone at 2 to 4 weeks. And 6 months to a year or more for the remainder to resolve.

Thanks for your question. Recovery time depends on a few things. First, how much work is done- bigger changes mean bigger surgeries which means longer recovery from swelling. The approach matters a lot- surgery through an open approach (meaning an incision across the base of your nose) leads to a much longer recovery than if surgery is done completely through incisions inside your nose. Finally, the thickness of your skin matters a lot- thicker skin holds on to swelling a lot longer than thinner skin. I'd say that while the final result isn't apparent for a year in most cases, the swelling should be down significantly by about six weeks. You'll still have swelling, but the changes at that point are subtle enough that we really only notice them in pictures. Good luck!

Thank you for your question and though the final result is not visible for a year most swelling is gone within a couple weeks assuming no complications.  That said everyone reacts differently particularly as a function of the skin thickness and what is done to the tip.Dr Corbin

  Hi, I have performed many Tip-pasties and depending on what needs to be done the recovery can be quite rapid.  I've performed retrogradte tip-plasties on soap actreresses that went back on the show filming live the following week.  It just depends on the Rhinoplasty Surgeon, the Rhinoplasty technique used and what's done to the nasal tip.  Hope this helps. 

Recovery will depend on what is done but i generally tell my patients to allow 10-14 days if they don't want people to notice. You mention that you're in the entertainment industry; I recommend that those who are in front of the camera to not schedule filming for 3-4 weeks.

Your nasal tip will look much better by 3-4 weeks after rhinoplasty surgery.  However I would wait 6 weeks before posing for photography or other very important social event during which she will be carefully observed.  It is true that final result in terms of reduction of swelling can take up to a year but she should be much improved and fairly normal looking by 6 weeks.