If my Nose Has a Sunburn on the Day of a Rhinoplasty Surgery, Can I Still Get Operated On?

You should be fine for your surgery in a week. Rhinoplasty involves surgically reshaping the cartilages and bones of the nose and has little effect on the skin itself.( Much to the dismay of all Rhinoplasty surgeons) Give your surgeon a call and have your skin examined prior to your surgery day just so everyone is informed.  Good luck with your surgery!

It really depends on the severity of the sunburn you experienced. I would recommend communicating with your surgeon and allowing him or her to examine your nose, as they will be able to advise you following an exam. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

I don't think anything untoward would happen by operating on a sunburn of the nose. Nevertheless, it's pretty poor judgment to allow this to happen before something as important as a rhinoplasty.

Dear nicole94,


It should not be much of an issue one week before surgery if it is a mild burn

Keep the area moist with sunscreen during the day, and a nice moisturizer at night to speed up the healing

Call your doctor's office just to make sure you are good for surgery


Best regards,

Nima Shemirani
 

The severity of the sunburn on your nose will determine if you can still have rhinoplasty surgery in a week.  If it was just a mild sunburn, most likely this should not cause a problem.  If you had a more severe sunburn, with blistering, this could be an issue.  I would contact your surgeon to let him or her know about your sunburn, as your surgeon should make the final decision.  

 Getting a sunburn approximately a week before rhinoplasty should be of no concern and healing process after the rhinoplasty procedure.

If your skin is still red and raw on the day of surgery, your surgeon will probably refuse to operate. The sunburn can cause swelling of the nasal skin and may affect your surgery and healing after surgery. I would check in with your surgeon so he/she can examine you.

If you avoid further sun exposure this likely will not be a problem. It will be very important that you avoid sun exposure for several months after your procedure to ensure proper healing. Since you have a week before your scheduled procedure, you might want to call your rhinoplasty surgeon's office to inquire whether they have any recommendations to minimize the inflammation prior to your procedure. Better to talk with the office today than have an upset surgeon on the AM of surgery. I hope this information is helpful.

Stephen Weber MD, FACS

Let your surgeon evaluate you to determine if your skin is too inflammed.  If it is significant they may delay the surgery.  Donald R. Nunn MD  Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.

Getting a little excess sun on your nose several days before rhinoplasty shouldn't be too  problematic as long as you let your surgeon know well in advance. He/she will probably advise you to use aloe vera or a calming complex to moisturize and nourish your skin in the days leading up to your surgery. Anything more than a mild sunburn, however, might be grounds to delay your surgery for fear of wound healing problems.