Do I Have to Remove my Tongue Piercing for Rhinoplasty?

Yes, you should plan on removing the piercing for surgery.  One issue is that it might complicate the cautery used in the rhinoplasty if any metal is present.   Not likely, but possible.  The second issue is that the pierce might become loose, and become lodged in your airway or your upper digestive tract.  Multiple serious problems could follow that including airway obstruction or the need for additional procedures to retrieve the piercing.  You may swallow the jewelry and therefore lose it.  Or the pressure of an endotracheal tube on the pierce during the nose procedure might cause further damage to your tongue.

Your pierce hole will not close up in a day.  So keep the jewelry out for the entire surgical day, as you don't need it back in when you are recovering from the effects of anesthesia as well. 

I read your concern. You will likely be intubated with an orotracheal tube for your Rhinoplasty Surgery, and your anesthesiologist will have to place an intubating-laryngoscope on your tongue to visualize your airway. This could cause your tongue pirrcing to dislodge, and if it ends up in your airway, this could be life-threatening.

You should remove it the morning of surgery, and replace it when you get home. The hole should not close within 24-72 hrs. or longer.

Good luck with your nose job.

Regards from NJ.

The anesthesiologist during your rhinoplasty may require you to remove the tongue piercing just prior to your surgery.  Typically, any metal ornament is removed to avoid the risk of electrical burn to the skin surrounding that object when using cautery to seal blood vessels.  Given that yours is plastic, this is not a major issue.  However, the anesthesiologist may require removal prior to your nose surgery to avoid it being dislodged during insertion of your breathing tube.  The hole should not close completely in the 3-4 hours for your anesthesia and post op care.   Good luck.  

You should discuss this with your surgeon and anesthesiologist -- most will probably recommend removal to prevent accidental aspiration, although if the piercing is very secure, they might allow you to keep it during surgery.

However, even if the piercing is removed, the hole will not close for at least several days if it has been present long enough to be lined with mucosa, and certainly will not close in the several hours you will be in surgery.  Ask your surgeon or anesthesiologist if they will replace the piercing for you after you are fully awake before leaving the surgery center.  

That way, you can be completely certain that the hole won't close up, and if there is difficulty replacing it, the surgeon will be able to see it more clearly than you could, and will have the tools to make sure it goes back in correctly.

The fact that it is plastic prevents the need for you to remove it during rhinoplasty surgery as only metal is a concern for the potential conduction of electricity that sometimes may be used in the operating room.  However, it is the likely preference of the anesthesiologist to remove it.  If the patient requests to leave in a tongue piercing, however, most physicians would allow it. 

There are a couple of reasons to remove a tongue ring for surgery. One reason is that is may become loose and go into the airway causing extreme difficulties.  Additionally with the use of electrocautery and metal in the region may conduct the electrical charge and possibly cause burns.  So i recommend all piercing be removed prior to surgery.

There is always a risk that your piercing may be dislodged. As a result, I am sure both your surgeon and anesthesiologist would insist that you do not have anything in your airway which may end up down your throat. Removing it for the surgery is the safe way to go.

Dr. Peter A Aldea

Surgeons and anesthesiologists prefer to work with no jewelery or piercings as they can be an obstruction. In case of an emergency we do not want any foreign object in the way. You certainly do not want metal in the tongue next to the anesthesia tube while under anesthesia.

I advise you to remove all jewelery and piercings right before surgery. The tongue will not heal in a day or two and you can reinsert your piercing after surgery.

If you can remove the tongue piercing, it should be removed prior to rhinoplasty. If the piercing comes loose when the patient is sedated or asleep, they could swallow or aspirate the plastic. It can be removed just before surgery and replaced at the conclusion of the operation.

When performing Rhinoplasty or other plastic and cosmetic surgeries, we ask patients to remove all forms of metal...from their skin as this can cause spots burns when electrocautery is used in surgery.  Plastic is not an issue.  If there is a worry that you would swallow the ring somehow during anesthesia, the anesthesia provider should be able to remove the ring and then replace it at the end of the case.  Speak with your Rhinoplasty surgeon and discuss the issue.