Should I be taping my nose for a month after rhinoplasty cast is removed?

Hello Cynthia and thank you for your question.  I typically remove a splint the week after surgery and let the swelling subside on its own afterwards.  However, every plastic surgeon has their own post-operative regimen and I would listen to your plastic surgeon as he/she "knows your nose" better than anyone.  In general, 90% of the swelling improves after the first 2-3 weeks and the remaining 10% may take up to a year to completely subside, and even then, the only time it's really noticeable is when you wear glasses and upon removal, the nose pads create more of an indentation than normal.For any more questions about rhinoplasty, feel free to click the link below.Good luck.Mark K Markarian, MD, MSPHHarvard-trained Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

In my experience taping of the nose for about 1 week after the cast is removed helps with controlling nasal swelling. However, after this period I doubt there is much benefit. The taping does not improve nasal shape but only the swelling and it can take 6 months to a year for the tissues to settle and the final result to become evident. Every surgeon will have a different protocol depending on the exact form of surgery and therefore it is always best to follow your surgeon's instructions for recovery and aftercare.

In reviewing scientific papers on the subject, taping has been indicated to help when performed up to 4 weeks after surgery for the bridge of the nose. Taping after 4 weeks, however, does not appear to provide any more benefit. Taping for 3 weeks after surgery is not a long time and really depends on the degree of swelling present. Taping does not help the tip.

Good question. This is highly variable depending on surgeon preference. It's very important to follow your own surgeon's protocol to the letter. I think taping may help a bit with swelling, though is unlikely to make much difference to the actual shape. Some surgeons also have their patients do some pressure/displacement exercises to the side of the nose to keep the sidewalls from moving after the splint comes off, but again, this is very surgeon-specific.

Unfortunately, nasal taping in general is not going alter the shape of your nose longer than one week. You may have a special circumstance, but a photo would be very helpful to provide you more accurate advice.

Dear cynthia.m, It is important to follow your surgeons post-operative protocol. Personally, I do not have my patients tape their nose post surgery. I prefer to have my patients  do pressure exercises to perform daily after their splint removal. Most patients return to work and their daily activities one week post surgery so having tape on your nose for an entire month seems excessive. Again this is surgeon specific. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.