Is my nose healing properly? I am 8 months post-op and it still appears to be swollen (Photo)

Rhinoplasty surgery is a very intricate and detailed procedure. In general our head's tend to swell or bleed more than other body parts because of the significantly higher concentration of blood vessels, due to the brain's high oxygen demand. We tell all of our patient's that after a Rhinoplasty your nose will go through different healing fazes for up to at least one year. Which means that lingering swelling or discoloration can be visible throughout these twelve months post surgery. We recommend taping and gentle icing and compression exercises to help with the swelling. Ask your physician is there are any other ways to help aid in swelling reduction such as an anti inflammatory medication or injection.

Hi, It is better for you to consult with your facial plastic surgeon who can examine you and give you opinion based on examination. In some patients it takes up to 1 year for swelling to go.

Sometimes people have sensitive skin and their noses can become swollen and red after rhinoplasty surgery. As long as this is temporary and all of the swelling ultimately resolves, this should get better overtime. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Dr. Joseph

Hello,

It is very hard to tell based on these photos. It is pretty normal for the nose to fluctuate with swelling after rhinoplasty. There are so many factors that can contribute to swelling including allergies, diet, post surgical healing, etc. Even dermatological reasons including rosacea can contribute to swelling. The best person to seek advice from is your surgeon and let him/her your concerns and see how they can help you manage the swelling.

The healing process takes up to 1 year after your surgery and for what I can see in the pictures, I would say that its seems to be normal. Even if you see it or feel it like is completely heal, inside the tissue and bones are still recovering therefore some minor changes can occur.
However if you see something unusual I would recommend to see your surgeon just to make sure.

Most plastic surgeons usually consider rhinoplasty results final at 12 months.
The amount of change people can expect between eight months and 12 months is really small.
Because it small amount of swelling can have an impact on how we perceive final outcomes we generally stare much more conservative for when we call results final on rhinoplasty surgery.
in order to make an assessment we usually need to see a complete set of proper before and after pictures.
If you don’t have before and after pictures, then ask your surgeon to forward the pictures they took.
At eight months, it’s unlikely you have a significant amount of postoperative swelling.
Most likely this is closer to your final outcome.
Redness of the nose is not uncommon.
It can be rosacea or from sun damage.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD