Why does the nose take a whole year to settle after Rhinoplasty & does weather play a role in recovery?

Question

Is this just because it continues to heal? If someone is doing the procedure to get a smaller nose, roughly how long after the surgery will they begin to see the size reduce? If I live in cold weather, will this impact time taken for swelling to go down?

Caner Kacmaz, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Rhinoplasty healing period is considered complete in 3 to 6 months. However, the tip of the nose becomes more refined approximately 12 months after the surgery. 
If you have thin skin your healing time will be shorter and the process will be easier. The thicker the skin is, the longer it takes for the nose to settle and for the patient to see the final result. Thick skin might take up to 18 months to heal completely. 
I recommend winter and fall months to book your procedure. You won't have sun exposure which causes inflammation, scarring, and swelling. You will also experience less bruising and swelling in cold temperatures.

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Why does it take so long for a postop rhinoplasty swelling to go down? after a rhinoplasty, as with any trauma, surgical or otherwise there is swelling. The swelling goes down gradually over the period of a few months. However as swelling is going down a layer of scar tissue beneath the skin where the surgery took place is building up. It may take a couple of months for scar tissue to finish building up particularly in the tip area. Then like scar tissue anywhere else it begins to go down but extremely slowly.In an average patients it takes at least a year for the tip area which is the longest healing, but can take 2,3,or even more years in people with very thick skin who form very thick scars. For the nose even a mere millimeter thick layer of scar tissue or even less can make a visible difference. This is why the nose does not achieve its final look until the scar tissue is resolved. In some cases Cortizone injections are used to hasten the resolution of scar tissue particularly in the area of the tip and just above the tip, called the supra tip.In more rare cases as scar tissue and swelling resolve small imperfections manifest themselves which were not visible earlier. Fortunately the latter is more rare and usually the nose looks better and better with time.

David M. Kowalczyk, MD, MBA, FACS · Answer

Hello! Swelling after rhinoplasty, especially when downsizing a nose, is normal. If a closed approach is performed, the swelling is often less. With open approaches, more dissection is performed and swelling is more profound and longer-lasting. That being said, many patients notice significant improvement in swelling within 3 months. But, the nose will continue to refine and become smaller in first time rhinoplasties by the 8-12 months mark in most cases. Things that help to limit swelling are avoiding heat, taping nightly, steroid injections, low salt diets, and compressions. A cooler climate is beneficial. Hope this is helpful!

Joseph Shvidler, MD · Answer

Although the nose may look healed on the outside, the healing process continues for 12-18 months after surgery. The skin soft tissue envelope contracts over the skeletal structure of the nose that has been altered. There may be some skin thickness variation and generally, the thicker the skin, the longer it takes for the swelling to go down. 
Weather should not play a role in recovery, however we do recommend covering your nose in extreme weather conditions so as to not cause any issues as your skin sensitivity may be altered temporarily after undergoing a rhinoplasty

William Portuese, MD · Answer

The nose is a three-dimensional structure, rhinoplasty is performed in all three dimensions, in the healing process occurs by three dimensional  scar contraction. Thick skin and the tip of the nose slows that process down. Patients who have thick skin typically require multiple steroid shots in the first few months after the procedure. weather is irrelevant

Why does the nose take a whole year to settle after Rhinoplasty & does weather play a role in recovery?

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