Rhinoplasty Cast/Splint Removal on Day 10 - Good or Bad Idea?

Hi Butterfly,

There is no need to keep your nasal splint on beyond 5 days.  Other than skin irritation, leaving it on for 10 days is like chicken soup, "it won't hurt".  If you would like your splint off, a nice long shower after 5-7 days should loosen it enough that it almost falls off.  Speak with your surgeon, good thing that he isn't going away for 3 months.  Hope that you love your new nose.  Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

I actually prefer to wait for 10 days (as long as there are no sutures to remove), since there has been additional time for durable healing to occur, and less potential for inadvertent damage to the just-barely adherent tissues. For years I removed my nasal splints at 6 or 7 days, and may have in several cases actually caused some minor bleeding under the healing skin that turned into scar tissue. This scar tissue may have caused some visible irregularity or distortion and less ideal results than might have been otherwise possible, if I or my patient been a little less anxious to see the results!.  If the subcutaneous scar tissue had not been caused by the minor trauma to the skin as the splint was removed, steroid injection might not have been necessary, or an overall better result may have been possible. I have had two cases where the patient removed her own splint prematurely and damaged the result severely enough to require re-operation!

If you have sutures or nasal packs to remove, this should be done when your surgeon tells you. If your skin is prone to acne outbreaks, you could have several pimples under the splint with an extra day or so, but these usually resolve with normal skin care after the splint is off. Best wishes for a good result!

Dear Butterflyinthesandpit,

There should be no problem waiting until the tenth day after surgery.  If it was a problem, I am sure your surgeon would have been more insistent, and it will be fine.  The cast helps keep things (bones, cartilage) in place as you heal.  It also helps keep the swelling down as well.

Best,

Nima Shemirani

Removing the splint for an extra 2-3 days should not affect your result.

However, if you have packing inside your nostrils, you should have enough antibiotics to cover the extra days, as the packing will increase your risk of toxic shock syndrome.

Hi Butterflyinthesandpit,

Plastic surgeons typically remove the nasal cast or splint after approximately 7 days from rhinoplasty surgery. Waiting a couple more days before removal should not affect your rhinoplasty results. Speak with your cosmetic surgeon. Best of luck.

Dr. Chaboki