Swelling After Rhinoplasty? (photo)

Dear MBS88, although you are unquestionably swollen, you have to remember that you are 9 days post-op.  The questions I would ask my patient would be: Are you avoiding bending over, strenuous activity, heavy lifting, or any other things that would raise your blood pressure?  If you are doing any of these things, please stop these activities immediately.  It is completely normal to have some degree of swelling and to have some anxiety about your result.  Please remember that the most important factors in your healing at this point are time and patience

Generally speaking, it can take 6 to 12 months to completely heal after surgery. Please keep in touch with your surgeon or his/her clinical team to discuss your ongoing concerns.

Immediately after the cast is removed, it is common for the nose to look more defined. After the compression has been removed, the skin and soft tissues can swell and this can take weeks to months to significantly improve. After rhinoplasty, tip shape is typically the last thing to settle before seeing the final result; this can take 12 months or longer. During this time you will notice that the size of your tip decreases as swelling resolves and subtle details and tip definition appear. At 9 days following rhinoplasty, you are still very early in your recovery. Recovery after rhinoplasty will vary based on the person, characteristics of the nasal tissues and what was done during surgery. Around the 4-6 week mark, most patients are able to appreciate most of the changes from surgery as a significant amount of swelling has resolved. However, it can take somewhere in and around 12-18 months to see the final results. The areas with thicker skin in the nose such as the tip, alar rims and radix will require longer to settle. Sometimes the transition point between the nasal bones (above) and upper lateral cartilages (below) that coincides with the hump can be slightly full in the first few weeks. Massage of the area may be recommended by your surgeon to help break up scar tissue in this area. In other instances, the fullness may be due to a residual dorsal hump and this will not completely go away after all of the swelling has resolved-only time will tell. It's hard but important to stay patient during your recovery and to be diligent attending your follow-up appointments with your surgeon.