4 Weeks Post Op, Hate my Nose

You need to wait.  There is still a lot of swelling and your nose should continue to improve.  Make sure to continue following up with your surgeon.
 

If the nose looked good after the splint was removed and you have not injured your nose since, the odds are your swelling will improve with time. You are a biologic being and must heal! Your nose is not like a piece of wood that once carved stays exactly the same. Try to be patient and see your surgeon frequently. Sometimes swelling that doesn't dissipate quickly can be reduced  with an injection of steroid if your surgeon thinks that appropriate. 

Nasal swelling is one of the most common complaints after surgery in rhinoplasty.  Especially revision rhinoplasty.  Unfortunately, there is little you or your surgeon can do to expedite the process, but normally this will continue to improve with time. The nose is a very detailed and defined structure on the face asnd as a result , any swelling will obscure the ideal appearance.  Waiting is the only solution and stay in close communication with your surgeon to ensure that you are healing properly.

 

Best of luck

Vincent Marin, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

This is one of the most common concerns patients have immediately after surgery. It takes anywhere from 9-12 months for majority of swelling to resolve especially after revision rhinoplasty. As you have noticed, your nose looked good as soon as splint was removed, because the swelling was kept at bay with tapes and splint. Please be patient and you will notice less and less swelling with time.

The appearance of the nose at the time of cast removal gives a patient better insight to the final result than trying to evaluate the nose 3 weeks later when there is more swelling. You will see significant improvement over the next several months, but the nose will continue to improve for at least a year after revision surgery.

 I have performed Rhinoplasty for over 20 years and the toughest part for patients is waiting for the nose to stop swelling.  Worse yet, the post Rhinoplasty swelling is rarely symmetrical making the nose look crooked this way  and then the next.  Confidence in what the nose looked like just after cast removal should help ease your anxiety but reality is that your nose could and will most likely be swollen up to a year after the Revision Rhinoplasty.  

 This is the reason that I teach all my Rhinoplasty patients how to perform manual lymphatic drainage on their nose.  Performed daily, starting at 1 month after the Rhinoplasty, the lymphatic drainage pushes the nasal swelling onto the large lymphatic vessels of the cheeks and reduces that swollen, bloated look to the nose.

You can ask your Rhinoplasty surgeon for his/her recommendations on how to best reduce your nasal swelling during this difficult post op period.