Rhinoplasty recovery. What is a good amount of time to take off?

Thank you for posting your question. Depending on what you are wanting to correct about your nose the recovery can vary. Most of my patients who have a rhinoplasty procedure done by myself, have felt comfortable returning to work/school one week post surgery. However taking into account where you work will ultimately decided when you go back - this is something than can be discussed at the one week post procedure appointment. You definitely want to try and avoid anything bumping into your nose to maximize the results of your rhinoplasty. I hope this was helpful, & best of luck,Dr. Wayne 

Hello,Thanks for your question. Most patients in my practice take one to two weeks off after rhinoplasty surgery. If you are at risk of getting hit in the nose at your job, I would recommend using one of those clear sports 1/2 masks that sport stars use when playing, but only when you think you'll be in a high risk situation. Nasal bones take around 2 weeks to start gelling in place after surgery, but they aren't at their strongest for 2-3 months after surgery.Good luck,Dr. Shah

I've never had a patient harm his nose being bumped after surgery. I think the nose isn't as fragile as we typically think it is. Seems to me that a bump that would harm your nose after surgery would have harmed your nose even if you had not had surgery.You don't want to do too much exertion for about two weeks after surgery, though, so that might be more of a factor.

In our practice, the cast is applied across the bridge of the nose and remains in place for one week, and there is visible bruising and swelling for two weeks. If you do not want anyone to know that you had a procedure performed, plan on taking two weeks off from work environment.