Is numbness inside the nose following nasal skin graft normal and will sensation return?

Question

Hi! I had a nasal skin graft (from ear cartilage) put in to repair quite substantial nasal valve collapse (vestibular stenosis). I'm three weeks post surgery and the graft site still feels numb. Is that normal and will the sensation return? Thank you!

Richard A. Bartlett, MD · Answer

Dear Alexandra00,Thank you for your question. At 3 weeks post-operatively you are still very early on in the recovery process. Numbness at this point is not at all uncommon or abnormal. The numbness is something that is just going to improve with time. What I tell all of my patients is that the final results of a rhinoplasty cannot be judged until atleast 6-12 months after surgery and sometimes even a little longer. As always, it is best to follow up with your operating surgeon to address these concerns. Best of luck to you!

Greg Bran, MD, PhD · Answer

The symptoms you describe are not unusual taking into consideration that your surgery was only few weeks ago. The return of sensation can take up to a year or longer, depending on how extensive the reconstructive surgery was. Gentle massage stimulates the healing process. Nevertheless you should try to remain patient as the return of sensation always takes a lot of time. Best of wishes.
Greg Bran MD PhD
Dual Board certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Is numbness inside the nose following nasal skin graft normal and will sensation return?

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