Rhinoplasty before wedding - do I have enough time to recover? (Photo)

Question

I have wanted a nose job for the last 15 years. I just got engaged (yay!) and I am wondering what are the pros and cons of getting rhinoplasty before my wedding. If my wedding is in less than a year, is that enough time for my new nose to look normal? Is it enough time for the swelling to go down? What if I need revision? Is this a good idea or should I wait until after my wedding? In terms of my goals I just want my bump removed and to reduce my tip to get that ski slope button nose look.

Paul E. Chasan, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. You are an excellent candidate for rhinoplasty, I think it is one of the most beautifying surgeries that we do as plastic surgeons.  In your case, if you had 3-4 months before your wedding, you would be fine.  A large portion of my practice is dedicated to rhinoplasty surgery. It is important to only see plastic surgeons with extensive experience in rhinoplasty, ie perform at least 6 per month and have performed hundreds of cases. Also, critically evaluate on-line galleries to see if their art form resonates with yours. Rhinoplasty is definitely a grey haired plastic surgeon's sport. Best wishes to you.

Matthew Tamplen, MD · Answer

Hi,First congratulations! This is actually a question that comes up a lot. Some of my happiest patients got their rhinoplasty less than a year before their wedding and were so happy they did. It gave them more confidence and they loved their wedding photos. To be safe I would give yourself 6 months but that should be plenty of time to achieve a nice result prior to your wedding. Looking at your photo I don't see anything challenging about your nose and you have nice skin quality. I would see a board certified Facial Plastic Surgeon for consult and go for it. Hope that helps!
Best,Matthew Tamplen MDTamplen Plastic Surgery

Nima Shemirani, MD · Answer

Hi @mross921. Congrats on your engagement! In general, swelling after a rhinoplasty can last up to one year. Swelling of the tip usually takes the longest to resolve. I would recommend waiting if you plan on getting married in less than 6 months.

Peter Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

It generally takes about a year for all of the swelling from a rhinoplasty to resolve. if you have thick nasal skin, and are undergoing a very extensive rhinoplasty procedure, it could take even longer than that. You certainly would not have time to have an initial rhinoplasty and revision surgery prior to your wedding.

Mark G. Albert, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,
Thank you for your question. If you proceed with a rhinoplasty soon, you will be perfectly fine a year from now. If you wanted it within 2-3 months of your wedding, the answer would be different. Your procedure can be done closed/scarless and this will also help to minimize swelling. 
Mark G. Albert, M.D., F.A.C.S.New York, NY and Boston, MA

Edwin F. Williams, III, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. There are many factors that will go into whether or not you will be healed enough from rhinoplasty to have it done before your wedding. The approach used (closed versus open), the maneuvers performed, thickness of skin, etc. In order to get a consult and surgery date with a reputable surgeon, you are likely looking at many months (most surgeons take 1-2 months to get in for a consult and another 1-2 months to get a surgery date). I recommend consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty to get a better idea of a timeline. Best of luck!

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

It appears that you are a candidate for rhinoplasty. An average recovery time for result to settle and mature is around 1 year but major swelling and healing will happen within 6 moths after surgery. In person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon, expert in rhinoplasty would give you the best information about expected result and recovery time. Good luck.

Marc Polacco, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. The soft tissue of the nose will continue to heal over the course of 12 - 18 months, however, much of the look of the nose will be complete by about 4-6 weeks. In higher stakes situations such as a wedding, I advise leaving a window of at least 3 months. If smaller deformities occur, at least at that stage makeup can usually take care of the rest. It's also important to know that in our literature, the revision rate for rhinoplasty is about 10%. So if that 10% risk is too high for you, then it would be better to wait until after the wedding most likely. 
Hope that helps,
Dr. P

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

I don't think your nose is all that bad at all. If you're nervous about the outcome I would do it after your wedding. You don't need the extra stress

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Getting a rhinoplasty before a wedding: The dilemma of how long before a wedding a rhinoplasty can be performed is a question that comes up quite regularly in my practice. The length of time involved in the healing process depends on the type of nose the patient has and the type of changes they are seeking. The change from removal of a dorsal hump is apparent virtually from the beginning. Tips take the longest time to look their best averaging approximately a year. However many tips look better than they did before after about 3 to 4 months even though they won’t look their final best for approximately a year. One of my most traumatic Rhinoplasty Patients did a TikTok after exactly 3 months and when viral for how good it looked. I have generally considered 3 to 4 months be the shortest acceptable time before a wedding. By 3 to 4 months there will be no restriction on activity, being in the sun, etc. all but the most extreme cases the nose will overall look better than before by this time even though it is not yet its final best. The patients who should consider longer than four months are those with very bulbous tips and very thick skin. Those are the patients who will take the longest to look their final best although even some of them will probably look better by six months than they did before, even though the tip does not look its final best yet.

Rhinoplasty before wedding - do I have enough time to recover? (Photo)

Answers (14)

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