How Soon After Rhinoplasty Can I Fly or Exercise?

Hello and thank you for your great question.
Every surgeon is a little different with their postoperative restrictions. That said, most patients should be able to fly or exercise starting 2 weeks after surgery. At this time, the risks of bleeding are very low and air travel is safe. That said, at 2 weeks the nose is still very susceptible to swelling and fluid shifts. If you were to take a flight or have a vigorous workout, you should expect that some swelling of the nose could occur. This is normal and will resolve within hours.
I hope this helps!
Best,Dr. G Dominick J Gadaleta, MDFacial Plastic SurgeonDG Facial Plastic SurgeryPalo Alto, CA

Thank you for your question. After surgery, there will be some swelling. The swelling can take many months to resolve, although most people stop noticing it after a couple of months. People are usually back to performing most activities after a week and resuming all activities after two to four weeks. Flying varies from patient to patient since no two people heal the same way, but in general, most people can get on an airplane for a short flight a week after surgery. Be sure to discuss with your surgeon.

We counsel patients to be cautious following surgery with these general guidlines:
One week After Surgery:
We counsel patients to limit your activity sharply for the first week following surgery.  This is aimed at helping your body in the early healing stages.  After the cast is removed at the one week mark, then we would clear you to fly.  
Three Weeks After Surgery:
We ask patients to avoid bending, lifting, straining and aerobic activities for the first 3 weeks.  After 3 weeks we clear patients to begin to gradually return to their normal exercise regimen, reaching their pre surgery levels by week 5-6.