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  • Why Is My Nose Still Swollen? — What To Expect After Rhinoplasty
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Hi, I'm Dr. Dan Shapiro. I'm a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I've been performing plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery in the Scottsdale Paradise Valley area for the last 22 years. I've dealt with it since 1992. A lot of what I do is facial surgery and specifically rhinoplasties.

People oftentimes, after the rhinoplasty, after the splint comes off at a week or so, they are very ecstatic with the way it looks, and then as the nose becomes swollen again, are somewhat impatient and really want to know what that nose is going to look like.

Basically what I tell patients is that the time we took the splint off, remember how great that looked? That's how your nose is going to look. Unfortunately, that nose will go ahead and swell up. There are many reasons for the swelling, whether it be environmental, if you have allergies, if you've been sneezing. Sometimes, people have a lot of schedule that requires a lot of travel and those atmospheric changes will cause swelling that will subside.

There are many factors that can cause swelling in the nose. People that eat a lot of salt or just like anything else, there are fluctuations in the soft tissue of the nose, just like that you may get swelling beneath the eyes. There are things that can be done, but ultimately what will happen is that swelling will go down over time.

There are things we can do to help mitigate those episodes of swelling, but basically what you can expect is your nose to decrease in size. You can expect to see that definition that you saw when the splint came off, and that would be sharp corners, a more elegant tip, a nose that appears to be less full on the tip that may have been bothering you before, or nasal bones that appear to be smoother and less wide over time.

There are things that I can do to help, especially with the tip swelling, and that would be to inject some steroids. I usually do that every four to six weeks after your initial rhinoplasty. Other things we can do to help decrease the swelling would be taping. Oftentimes, when people come in, I will put some pressure on the nose to show you again, to remind you what the end point is going to be.

It's a communication thing with me and my patients. I like to hold their hands through the whole process and reassure them that that swelling will go down, and that you will see that definition that you were so delighted with when the splint came off. Thank you.

Why Is My Nose Still Swollen? — What To Expect After Rhinoplasty

Dr. Daniel Shapiro explains the factors that can cause a nose to swell after the splint is removed after rhinoplasty. To speed up the healing process, follow all post-surgical care instructions from your surgeon and be patient.