patient guide
After Rhinoplasty Surgery. Tel: 09 529 5783
If you have a day procedure you will be discharged two or three hours afterwards. You will need a caregiver to take you home and be with you overnight. You will not be allowed to drive for 24 hours. It is possible to swallow blood from the back of the nose and vomit bloodstained material. Do not worry as this is a normal phenomenon and does not indicate problems.
Arrangements will be made to review you the following day to remove any packs and ensure you are recovering well. Expect any bruising to be at its worst by two to three days. Your nose will feel blocked, but try not to blow it as this can start bleeding. Any internal crusts should be allowed to come away naturally over the next few days.
Although we generally recommend two weeks away from work many patients find that they are able to return to desk work within a week of surgery, albeit with a splint and some bruising.
Your splints and tapes are removed at one week and you will be able to see the new shape of your nose. At this stage it will still be swollen.
Most of the swelling has settled by 3 weeks but there are subtle changes that occur for many months post-operatively. Make-up can be worn to cover any bruising once the splints have been removed.
Gentle exercise is OK at two weeks but strenuous gym work is best avoided for six weeks. You should avoid glasses on the bridge of the nose for three weeks. By a month the bones have healed and a knock to the nose is unlikely to cause any damage.
The nose will feel numb and a little cold for several months, the sensation gradually returning over a six-month period.
If there has been work performed on the airway it may take two months or longer for the swelling to settle inside the nose.
In normal circumstances we will see you postoperatively at one day, one week, six weeks and six months. Whilst not essential, we do like to keep in touch with our patients in the longer term and follow their progress. [ read more...]