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Sinusitis and rhinoplasty. Can I clear stuffiness by inhaling steam, or will it damage my nose?

I'm a patient of xhronic maxillary sinusitis! Followed its treatment regimen in feb2014 n was ok but was advised for daily nasal irrigation with salinase n luke warm water! After my rhinoplasty 1 month ago i have been using salinase but not with warm water n feel the nasal stuffiness n post-nasal drips return! Can i clear it by inhaling steam?? That wint harm or deshape my nose?? Or anyother suggestion plz

Doctor Answers 1

Clearing stuffiness after rhinoplasty

August 17th, 2014
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Because you had a rhinoplasty surgery one month ago, you should always check with your surgeon before trying anything that he/she didn't suggest. A number of my patients do find that inhaling steam does help improve stuffiness and it would be unusual for steam to cause any deformities in the nose. Using salt water (saline) spray throughout the day can also help. If your nose is especially dry, using a small amount of Vaseline inside the nostrils with a Q-tip can provide more moisture.
If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, in general, you should be using a nasal steroid spray to reduce inflammation in the nose. In general, it is safe to use these sprays one month after surgery, but you should definitely ask your surgeon first.
Gregory J. Vipond, MD, FRCSC


Inland Empire Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.5 out of 5 stars 6 reviews

August 17th, 2014

Clearing stuffiness after rhinoplasty

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Because you had a rhinoplasty surgery one month ago, you should always check with your surgeon before trying anything that he/she didn't suggest. A number of my patients do find that inhaling steam does help improve stuffiness and it would be unusual for steam to cause any deformities in the nose. Using salt water (saline) spray throughout the day can also help. If your nose is especially dry, using a small amount of Vaseline inside the nostrils with a Q-tip can provide more moisture.
If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, in general, you should be using a nasal steroid spray to reduce inflammation in the nose. In general, it is safe to use these sprays one month after surgery, but you should definitely ask your surgeon first.


Inland Empire Facial Plastic Surgeon

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