Shorter Recovery Time for Tip Rhinoplasty?

Patients go home with an external splint but most often just special tape following a tip rhinoplasty. If it is just a tip rhinoplasty then usually there is little or no bruising.
Initial discomfort is easily controlled with oral medication and head elevation.
Majority of swelling and bruising subsides progressively over 2-4 weeks.
External sutures (if any) are removed in 4-6 days. Internal sutures dissolve spontaneously.
An early result is evident in 3 months.  Final results become evident in 12-14 months which is the time necessary for complete tissue softening.
Areas of sensitivity or numbness will slowly resolve; the tip of the nose will feel stiff or “woody” and this will improve over the first several months.  Other temporary conditions may include some airway or sinus blockage, nasal drainage, lumps and irregularities.

Depending on how much work you get
done, your recovery may actually be simpler. However, the length of recovery is
pretty standard across the board. The majority of nasal swelling should subside
within the first month following your nose job. Still, your nose will take an entire
year to completely heal, during which time residual swelling will gradually
decrease.

Tip rhinoplasties are performed for isolated deformities of
the nasal tip structures. These
procedures differ from standard rhinoplasties because no work is performed on
the underlying boney structures. In the
immediate post-operative period this results in less swelling and
bruising. For this reason, the majority
of tip rhinoplasty patients are able to resume normal activities in one to two
weeks following surgery.Although
tip rhinoplasty patients have less swelling in the immediate post-operative
period, this doesn’t translate into significant long term advantages. The reason for this paradox is related to the
fact that the nasal tip is the last anatomic area to experience resolution of
swelling. Resolution of swelling occurs
at the same rate with or without work on underlying boney structures.In the
vast majority of patients who undergo tip rhinoplasty, residual swelling is
present for at least 12 months following surgery. The duration of swelling doesn’t appear to be
shortened by avoiding surgery on the underlying nasal bones.

If you are only have your tip worked on, then the recovery should be a lot easier. You will probably only need a week.
I tell my patients to limit activity for 3 weeks, even if only the tip was worked on.
It takes about 6-12 months before all of the swelling is gone.
 
 

 The bruising is usually gone in a week and no one should know it was done after that. The swelling is not noticeable but takes 6-12 months to resolve totally. Other than contact sports your restrictions are minimal.

In rhinoplasty jargon, the term "Tip Rhinoplasty" or "Tip Refinement" simply means reshaping the nasal tip to improve its appearance. This can involve making the tip narrower, smaller, less bulbous, less boxy, more/less upturned -- depending on the goals of the surgery.
The "downtime" following rhinoplasty is variable depending on what rhinoplasty techniques are used such as whether the surgery was performed open or closed, whether any tip work was performed, and whether the nasal bones were broken (osteotomies). Patients who undergo open rhinoplasty typically have more edema (swelling) that persists longer compared to patients in whom closed rhinoplasty techniques were used. If the nose was surgically broken by performing osteotomies then there is usually more swelling and bruising.
Patients are generally encouraged to take a week of from work or school. After two weeks, most patients can gradually return to strenuous activities such as exercising.
The swelling gradually dissipates over the first several months and thus the appearance of the nose changes gradually. When the cast is removed after one week, the nose will look swollen. Usually by the end of the second week, the swelling and bruising have subsided enough that the casual observer will not readily notice that the nose has been operated on. However, to the patient, the nose will look swollen or "puffy" for several months. By about 3-4 months, the majority of the swelling will be gone but will look larger in photographs. It can take as long as a year for the final shape to become apparent. You should give yourself several months if if there are any work or social engagements that would cause concern.The nose undergoes significant changes in the first 2 to 12 weeks following rhinoplasty. The swelling gradually dissipates over the first several months, and thus the appearance of the nose changes gradually.

Good question. The main difference between a tip rhino and a regular rhino is that the regular rhino often involves osteotomies, or breaking of the nasal bones. This needs 4-6 weeks to heal a bit before you can wear glasses, etc. Tip rhinoplasty does not involve that , but the tip is still the slowest part to heal and for the final swelling to go away. Therefore, while you may be able to wear glasses a bit sooner, the recovery is more or less the same. you should avoid strenuous activity for a few weeks and follow up with your surgeon closely to make sure everything goes as planned.
-Dr. David Mattos, New York Plastic Surgical Group

The tip rhinoplasty procedure can be performed but will still have a year’s healing time present. The majority of the swelling in a full rhinoplasty settles in the tip and takes a full year to go away. Even if only the tip plasty has been performed, it still takes a significant amount of time for swelling to go down. This time lasts approximately a year. It is acceptable to resume full normal activities and exercise two weeks after the procedure, whether it is a full rhinoplasty or a tip rhinoplasty.