How long does it take for the tip swelling to go down after Rhinoplasty?

Usually after a primary rhinoplasty, the swelling is gone by one year, sometimes sooner.  However, this will depend upon thickness of skin, etc.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for asking. Usually the tip is the final place swelling resolves. This is usually after a year but not all tips are treated the same. Some have cartilage grafting and possibly sutures. Depending on your specifics swelling can be longer. Hope this helps.

The swelling after rhinoplasty can take an excruciatingly long time to resolve.  For an external approach rhinoplasty, the swelling can take 12-18 months to resolve.  Your surgeon is correct that the nose can still change after that time to some degree, but, in my opinion, swelling is unlikely to be present for up to 5 years.

Generally speaking, it can take 6 to 12 months to completely heal after surgery. Please keep in touch with your surgeon or his/her clinical team to discuss your ongoing concerns.

Once the cast is removed usually after 1 week, your face will feel puffy and the area around your eyes and nose will be bruised and swollen for several days. Cold compresses can help minimize the swelling and reduce pain. Your doctor may also recommend pain medicine. It takes about 10 to 14 days before most of the swelling and bruising improves. Keep in mind everyone heals differently and tolerates pain differently.

Swelling resolution after rhinoplasty can take up to a year. Depending on the skin thickness, this can prolong the swelling if you have thicker skin. As the nose heals further the swelling will fluctuate less and less. After the first year very small changes will continue to occur to the nose that are usually very minimal. I would revisit your rhinoplasty surgeon to see if you are a candidate for additional steroid injections or other treatments to help the swelling decrease. 

Dear AzDesertMermaid, The tip is the last place in the nose for the swelling to dissipate. This usually dissipates in full by 12 to 18 months at the most. Five years is a little extreme for a diagnosis of post operative swelling. My belief is what you see at 18 months post surgery will be your final result. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.