Is It Ok to Use Salt and Water on a Sore Throat After Rhinoplasty?

After rhinoplasty (or any surgery), a sore throat is usually due to the laryngeal mask or endotracheal tube used by your anesthesia provider to protect your airway and provide oxygen and sometimes anesthetic gases during surgery. Irritation can result from these necessary devices, and each patient may have different degrees of throat soreness ranging from none at all to severe.

Salt water gargles will cause no harm and can help to relieve mild symptoms. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large glass of warm water will do the trick, and will not cause more swelling. Sucrets or Cepacol lozenges have a topical anesthetic that can soothe sore and irritated tissues until they heal in a day or two.

Severe pain could be a sign of infection, either bacterial or viral. when in doubt, see your doctor. Best wishes!

If your sore throat has been present since you awoke in the recovery room, it's likely from the orotracheal tube used during your procedure. If your sore throat appeared several days after your surgery, you may have tonsillitis which may require antibiotics. In that regard, you may want to visit your surgeon for evaluation.

I like Chloraseptic red lozenges with benzocaine (follow package directions), for acute sore throat relief.

Hope this is helpful.

Dr. Joseph

Gargling with salt water after rhinoplasty is fine. The soreness may be from the breathing tube (if you had one), but it could also be a virus which can produce some throat ulcerations which could take 1-2 weeks to heal. If so the important thing is for you to make sure you don't get dehydrated. So, somehow you need to keep drinking electrolytes.