Social Downtime After Rhinoplasty

I usually advise my patients to plan on 10-12 days after rhinoplasty if they want to "get away with it." However, many patients look great at the one week point, once the splint and tape are taken off, and return to work and social activities at this point.

Each individual patient recovery experience varies depending on the patients skin type, propensity for bruising, and the amount of work which was done during the surgery.  Icing the nose, elevating the head, and taking supplements such as arnica montana and bromelain can help speed up recovery as well. 

Regards,

Dr. Mehta

The amount of downtime after your rhinoplasty surgery may depend on your age, skin color and skin thickness. Downtime in teen rhinoplasty patients is typically very short.Downtime after rhinoplasty surgery also depends on the extent of your surgery. Extensive grafting or osteotomies may play factors in affecting downtime when these are performed during your rhinoplasty surgery.Your doctor should also screen you with a short questionnaire  to make sure you don't have a bleeding disorder which could increase bruising and downtime.With artful concealer, normal social activity may be resumed well within two after well performed rhinoplasty surgery in most patients.Hope this helps many and thank you for this excellent and commonly asked question.Dr Joseph

I generally tell patients they may return to work on average after 1 week post rhinoplasty where they would look socially presentable in most cases,this of course may vary for revisions.I usually relate to my patients that there is about a 3-4 week frame during which time the vast majority of your facial swelling should reduce. Still, with the two week period that you have, your swelling should be relatively better. You can always apply a little bit of makeup and foundation to the face to help conceal swelling and bruising. I would advise that you do not miss out on your social event because of any concern with your swelling- just go and enjoy yourself, as the swelling is unlikely to be very noticeable by this stage of your recovery.

Most of my patients are back to their social activities 7-10 days after their rhinoplasty. Bruising should resolve by this time and any discomfort will have diminished significantly.

Downtime varies tremendously from surgeon to surgeon depending on what techniques they use to minimize bruising and swelling.  In addition, each patient will have a variable amount of swelling.  The vast majority of rhinoplasty patients in my practice return to work one week after a procedure.  Patients in the fashion industry typically may look pretty good in person at one month, but will start to photograph better at the three month mark. Patients with a once a lifetime event (hopefully) such as a wedding should have the procedure at a minimum of three months prior as the photographs taken from the event will likely be viewed many times there after.  The nose itself takes at least a year for the majority of the swelling to exit the nose, but most likely slightly longer.

Your office should work with you to help minimize swelling and bruising.  Every nose is different and may require a different approach or amount of time before a swelling milestone is reached.  

Even though recovery from rhinoplasty is highly individual, most of our patients can return to social activities within 2 weeks.  On the other hand, in our practice many patients  return to work after about a week even though there might be still some minimal tel tale signs. Rhinoplasty is one of the more difficult procedures for a surgeon to master. The more experienced and talented surgeon, the less surgical trauma during rhinoplasty, the quicker recovery.

You might find it insightful to read my article "The Art of Sculpting the Nose" which can be found on my web site under "publications"
 

Depending on the techniques used, the majority of post-rhinoplasty swelling and bruising can last 2-3 weeks. After the first week, your nose will appear swollen to you and to anyone else that sees it. By the end of the second week, much of the early swelling will have subsided, and whatever bruising remains can often be covered up with make-up. By the end of the third week, much of the swelling will have gone down and the casual observer may not notice that your nose is swollen. However, when you look in the mirror your nose will continue to look "puffy" or swollen to you for 2-4 months after surgery.

Usually, it takes about one week after the rhinoplasty surgery to go back to your daily, non strenuous activities. For seven days, patient has an external splint placed on the nose. By the time it gets removed, most bruising and swelling resolves. The pain after the surgery is controlled by pain killers prescribed by your surgeon but pain is usually very mild.

Patients notice some changes and swelling in the nose site even up to one year after the surgery. Although the healing process takes long time it should not be accompanied by any pain or discomfort. With any questions or concerns you should always call your surgeons office. Make sure you seek the best professional in your area to perform your surgery.

Recovery following rhinoplasty will vary amongst patients and surgeons. Some patients may notice little to no bruising following a rhinoplasty while others may experience a moderate amount. If osteotomies (bone breaking) were performed, a splint/cast will be placed for 5-7 days. Some patients are comfortable going out in public after 2-3 days with their splint on while others prefer to wait 7-8 days until their splint is removed. If you have a party or photo shoot, you may prefer to wait 2-3 weeks.

Hi Billabonggirl,
Social downtime from rhinoplasty should be about 5 to 8 days. The amount of time that you have taken off should be more than enough to let your swelling and bruising resolve.
I do not use nasal packing following rhinoplasty. I have found that this not only is a great deal more comfortable for my patients after surgery, but also that they do not bruise or swell as much as patients who do have "packing". Individuals vary, but you can enhance your healing time by avoiding aspirin and anti-inflammatory products, smoking, and drinking for two weeks before and after your surgery. Arnica for a week before may be helpful. Sleep with your head elevated above your heart for the first 3 days, and use ice frequently.
Lastly it helps to have a surgeon with "a gentle touch" and not a "heavy hand". Your surgeon is the best source to answer this question. Hopefully you have chosen your surgeon most carefully. Good luck and be well.
Dr. P