I Had a Rhinoplasty 40 Days Ago and My Nose is Very Big?

Hello,

At 40 days post-op, it is not uncommon that you experience considerable swelling. Most likely, it seems that you have a thick oily skin and so the recovery pace is slower than the average.

That being said, I believe that you should a little more patient and to have your surgeon in the loop of your recovery process as you follow his/her instructions religiously.

Please remember, that it takes about 12 months after the surgery for the end results to be established usually.

Thank you for your inquiry.

I hope this helps.

The best of luck to you.

Dr. Sajjadian

Rhinoplasty surgery can really distort the nose by swelling early on. If you had an open approach usually identified by a scar across the skin between your two nostril openings the swelling can be even worse. It easily can take 6 weeks for most of the early swelling to subside. It is difficult to say if your nose is too big now because I do not have before and after pictures to look at, but rest assured it takes 6 months to a year for hardness to settle down. You should be able to see your shape within 4-8 weeks time. I would go see your surgeon for more reassurance, but what you describe this early out does not surprise me and I often have the same questions from my Rhinoplasty patients.

Forty days is far too early to judge your results. Continue to be patient and you will likely see improvement as you move further along the path to recovery. Your physician should be helpful in making sure you hit appropriate milestones on your recovery.

Best of luck,

Vincent Marin, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

At six weeks after rhinoplasty, it is normal to have swelling of the nose.  It will take several more months and up to a year for the swelling to dissipate.

 Rhinoplasty(nose surgery) is  always followed by significant swelling which can persist for many months after surgery. If the procedure was done as an open rhinoplasty, where there is a small incision that goes across the central pillar of the tip, then swelling will be even worse. Ultimately all swelling will resolve but the final result will easily take a year to see and that is why most of us will wait that long before ever considering doing any additional or revisional surgey. Be patient,your post op course is very typical and there is nothing you need to do now except wait.

Usually the nose will be stiff, yet should look quite good by four weeks after a rhinoplasty procedure. If you worked ahead with computer simulations you can be reassured that you and the surgeon had the same goals in mind. Unhappy at 40 days should prompt a visit with your surgeon.

Forty days post operative you still have swelling in the nose and this will slowly dissipate over the coming months. The majority of the swelling will go down in the first three to four months and then the last 30% takes an entire year to completely resolve. See your surgeon for regular appointments to help you through this recovery phase. Your surgeon will tell you what your expected results should be. Best regards and remember time is on your side be patient.