For rhinoplasty, have you seen a reduction in swelling from patients who do red light therapy in home or at an office?

Hello and thank you for your question. I don’t find red light therapy truly helpful. The final results take at least 1.5 years for the swelling to fully resolve. This can require lots of patience and waiting. Steroid injections performed by your surgeon can be extremely helpful. I usually start steroid injections around 1 to 2 months after surgery and continue as needed. With that being said, the final outcome will really depend on the surgical techniques that your surgeon used during your surgery. I recommend that you maintain close follow up with your surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Swelling in the nose after a rhinoplasty is directly related to the type of procedure performed. Open rhinoplasty creates more swelling, and then closed rhinoplasty. It also depends on the thickness of the skin, and the maneuvers performed during the rhinoplasty procedure. When patients have thick skin, steroid shots are necessary to reduce that swelling in the several months after the procedure. Red light therapy will have no benefit. A low salt diet will help reduce swelling at at least initially in the first few months after the surgery.