How long after rhinoplasty one can swim or sunbathe?

About 6 weeks after surgery you can start swimming again. For tanning, you should make sure to cover your nose as sun exposure can permanently darken scars. It takes about a year or so for scars to mature.

After rhinoplasty surgery we tell our patients not to swim for 1 month. We also recommend that they stay out of the sun for 3 months, and when they do go out into the sun to make sure they are always wearing a good sunscreen since the skin is fragile. 

We generally recommend waiting 2 weeks before resuming full, normal activity.  This is especially true of swimming.  We will sometimes allow for light activity between weeks 1 and 2, but not swimming.  Remember that the bones of the nose will not be fully healed for 6 weeks if they were broken.  So, you need to be careful with any activity that might displace the bones (wearing goggles, masks, diving, etc....)  for 6 weeks.  I hope your recovery is otherwise going well.

Once the incisions have healed over with new skin, you should be able to swim and slowly increase your activity level.  Be cautious to avoid any trauma on the nose, however.  I would recommend that you avoid diving or any activity, such as surfing, paddle boarding, or water skiing until at least six weeks after surgery. In terms if sun exposure, sun will make any scarring worse. Once you have healed over the incisions, wear sunscreen daily--even when it is cloudy!Good Luck!P. Daniel Ward, MDAssistant ProfessorFacial Plastic SurgeryUniversity of Utah

After
a rhinoplasty, it takes time
for the nose to heal and certain activities should be put on hold until
the
nose has stabilized. Swimming and watersports place the nose under
pressure, as
well as contribute to nasal congestion. Avoid water recreation for at
least 3 weeks. The skin is especially delicate and susceptible to sun
damage. A sunburn
or tanning can cause permanent discoloration, so it is important to
protect the
nose from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Keep the nose completely shielded from
the sun
for about 3 months after surgery, and continue to wear sunscreen as a
matter
of habit.

In general, your nose has less natural protection from the sun right after rhinoplasty. All the tissue was just elevated off of the internal structure of the nose, including the bone and cartilage, and blood vessels were coagulated in order to do this. There fore we weakened the nose's natural defense since we weakened its blood supply. This blood supply grows back , but it can take quite a bit of time to happen. In the first 6 weeks, your nose is less naturally resistant to UV rays and is more likely to burn and get discolored. Also, since your nose is mostly numb early on, its less likely that you are to notice the problem until its too late. I recommend you stay out of the sun as much as possible in the first 6 weeks after surgery. If you are in the sun for short periods of time, stay in the shade, and wear a big hat and a good sunblock. Do not wear sun glasses in the first 6 weeks, or any glasses for that matter, if osteotomies were performed, (breaking of the nasal bones). You can get your nose wet as soon as the splint comes off, but I would be careful about chlorinated pools early on until the incision is fully healed an more mature, as the chlorine can irritate the incision.Best Wishes, Pablo Prichard, MD

Heat makes injured areas swell.  While your nose is healing, it would be a bad ideal to lay in the sun. Swimming is usually resumed after 6 to 9 weeks.  Direct these questions to your surgeon, as he knows what was done to your nose, such as grafts, etc... Best wishes!