Pain and Recovery Time Vary with Type of Rhinoplasty?

Hi Vivi,Rhinoplasty should not be a painful procedure no matter what type of procedures are carried out. Most patients complain of the pressure and uncomfortable sensation of having packing in their nostrils for 2 to 5 days following rhinoplasty.
Many rhinoplasty surgeons no longer find it necessary to use post-operative nasal packing which makes the recovery period much easier for the patient. I tell my patients that they will feel some pressure, at worst sinus headache type pressure. I ask that they take Tylenol, two tablets every 4 to 6 hours for the first two days. We do give our patients a narcotic pain reliever to take a night before going to sleep, or if the Tylenol is not doing the trick.
After the first two days, it is rare for patients to continue taking their "pain" pills.
Good luck and be well.
Dr. P

The rhinoplasty procedure is not painful as long as packing is not placed inside the nose. If packing is placed inside the nose it will be a very painful operation. Nasal packing is no longer used and has not been used in our practice in over 20 years. Building up the nasal bridge is less painful than the actual osteotomies or narrowing of the nasal bones. Since it has been seven months after the rhinoplasty, the majority of swelling should be down at this point. If your surgeon told you that you had a lot of scar tissue, that meant that you have had previous nasal surgery in the past, probably more than once. There is lymphatic edema that gets trapped inside the nose and takes a very long time to resolve. Cortisone shots, a low-salt diet and time will help.

I am always amazed by how little pain my patients feel after rhinoplasty. For some reason, most people don't have much pain associated with this operation.
There is definitely some discomfort and mild pain. That is inevitable. However, what I have found is that it varies with how much work is done. Also, in general, work done on the bone causes more discomfort and recovery than the other areas.
Thus, someone with a large and wide bony bridge of the nose will require substantial rasping and fracturing of bone. This usually leads to more discomfort and bruising.
Someone who only needs a minor change to their tip will probably experience slightly less pain and bruising.
In summary, rhinoplasties tend not to be very painful. The amount of discomfort and recovery depends on how much has to be done on the nose.