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Will Soaking Tweezers in Alcohol and Using It to Take out Dried Mucous from my Nose 3 Weeks After Rhinoplasty Be Ok?

i soaked some tweezers i had in 50% rubbing alcohol and used the tweezers to pick out some dried mucus in my nose. i did this about 3 times and i am about on my 3rd week after rhinoplasty. is this a bad thing to be doing?

Doctor Answers 5

Los Angeles Rhinoplasty

August 3rd, 2011
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Hello and thank you for the question.

 

I would not recommend placing any sort of instrument inside your nose. As my colleague suggested, you may cause inadvertant damage to the nose or stimulate bleeding.  You may want to consider using a saline spray to irrigate the nasal cavity.

Kindest Regards,

Glenn Vallecillos, M.D., F.A.C.S. 

Glenn Vallecillos, MD


Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 29 reviews

Tweezers

August 3rd, 2011
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I don't recommend this. You may cause bleeding or damage the inside of your nose. Steam or a vaporizor might loosen them and then they will come out naturally.

David A. Bray, Sr., MD

David A. Bray, Sr., MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.3 out of 5 stars 6 reviews

Is removing dried mucous from my nose at 3 weeks after Rhinoplasty, OK.

August 11th, 2011
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 No, IMHO if you have dried mucous in your nose at 3 weeks after a Rhinoplasty, IMHO it's best to return to your Rhinoplasty surgeons office to have your nose cleaned.  There are internal sutures that you may pull causing collapse and web formation...it's best to let them handle it for the first 4-6 weeks until the sutures have dissolved and the incisions healed. 

Web reference: http://www.drfpalmer.com

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.6 out of 5 stars 24 reviews

Nasal Hygiene after rhinoplasty

August 7th, 2011
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Its natural and expected for crusting to occur inside the nostrils after surgery. Using  tweezers can injure the stiches that your doctor placed so carefully. A better way is to moisten a Q-tip with peroxide, and roll the cotton bulb inside the nosril rim in a cleaning motion 4 times a day, followed each time with applying any over the counter , nonperscription antibiotic ointment with another clean Q-tip in a similar way. This will coat the healing tissues, as well as keep the nostrils well moisturized. Furthermore, it will keep your doctor happy !

Maurice P. Sherman, MD

Maurice P. Sherman, MD
San Diego Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.7 out of 5 stars 27 reviews

Removal of dried mucous after rhinoplasty

August 5th, 2011
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A save solution for removing dried mucous after a rhinoplasty is to use a q-tip and hydrogen peroxide.  Dip a clean q-tip in the hydrogen peroxide and gently role the q-tip along the inner rim of each nostril.  This will loosen any mucous.

Leif L. Rogers, MD, FACS

Leif L. Rogers, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
4.4 out of 5 stars 21 reviews

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.