Recovery Process After Rhinoplasty Surgery

On contrary to popular belief, patients generally do not have a severe pain after the rhinoplasty. They generally feel a slight burning and pressure in their nose.

Painkiller added into the serum (through vascular access) on the first day after surgery when needed is sufficient for most patients. As a doctor, I give painkiller since it relieves even mild pains of my patients as well as reducing edema after the surgery.

On contrary to popular belief, edema formation after rhinoplasty surgery is very low. Edema formation may differ according to the technique used and the skin characteristics of the person.

In most patients, edema and bruising may occur on the eyelids on the second day but almost all of them disappear completely at the end of the first week. You will be instructed how to apply intermittent cold application with ice packs during the first day.

By this way, there will be less edema and bruising. After the surgery, it is necessary to sleep with a high pillow and face up. To reduce edema, a low-salt diet should be followed and Bromelain (Bromelain 500 mg capsule, 1 piece for 2-3 times a day) should be used. You can also get support from herbal supplements such as papaya extract and arnica cream.

Silicone buffers inside the nose are generally removed in 3rd or 4th day. The removal of the silicon buffer is not painful on contrary to popular belief. Silicone buffers are completely removed when you are invited for control.

Plaster (splint) and tapes on the nose are removed at the end of the 1st week. When nose plaster is removed after a week, it is seen that the nose is a bit swollen. Afterwards, skin-colored tapes are placed on the nose to remain in 1 more week.

Tapes on the nose are removed at the end of the 2nd week. Although rare, tapes on the nose can be renewed and kept for a longer period of time. After this period, your nose is completely open and you can start applying the massages that we will show you.

Massaging after rhinoplasty surgeries causes the facial lymphatics to be activated, thereby reducing edema, and accordingly speeding up recovery. Massaging the nasal bridge, the area above the nasal tip (supratip area) can significantly reduce postoperative edema (swelling).

The most effective period of the massage is the first 6 months after surgery. As a doctor, I believe that massaging for 20 minutes a day in front of the mirror, softer in the first 3 weeks and stiffer and tempered afterwards, is very helpful for the nose to reshape and settle.

After the first month, edema is reduced and most people do not notice that you had rhinoplasty. In this period, most patients observe that their nose has become more elegant. However, it will take 1 year for the edema to completely reduce and to get the final results.

At the end of the first year, the details under the nasal skin can be clearly seen. In the patients with thick skin, the settling of the skin can last more than 1 year and perhaps extends to 2 years. After the surgery, it is very important to protect your nose against blows for the first 12 months, especially for 6 months.

After the cast on the nose are removed and their controls are made on the 6th or 7th day of the surgery, our patients coming from abroad can return to their countries.

There is no problem for our patients coming from abroad or a long distance to travel. After our patients return to their homes, they can easily remove the skin-colored plasters on their noses by wetting them in the shower by themselves.

• You can generally return to your daily activities after 3-4 days.

• You can have a warm shower without wetting the nose cast and tapes as of the second day.

• As of the second week, you can do light exercises and start walking. However, since the sports requiring physical activity may lead to bleeding in your nose, you have to do sports after the 1st month.

• To prevent edema, it is necessary to take a break from sauna, Turkish bath, solarium, sun bath, steam bath, sea, and pool for 1 month. For the first 4-6 months, it is important to avoid activities that may cause trauma to your nose such as jumping into the water.

• To prevent sunburn, you should avoid the sun or wear a hat for at least 2 months.

• For oral hygiene, it will be good to use mouthwash solutions starting from the first day in terms of oral hygiene and comfort. As of the 2nd day, you can brush your teeth using a soft toothbrush.

You can use contact lenses as of the 3rd day. I allow my patients to use reading glasses or frameless light glasses as of the 2nd month and heavy-framed sunglasses after the 3rd month of rhinoplasty surgery. If it is necessary for you to use glasses for the first 2 months, we give the nasal cast to you after removing it. You can use your glasses by wearing them on this cast.