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Rhinoplasty, or nose surgery, can subtly enhance the natural beauty of your face, bringing your features into greater balance and harmony. It’s also an exacting procedure that requires great surgical skill and an appreciation of the wide range of facial characteristics. Because of this, you play an important role in getting the best possible results. First, you need to choose a surgeon with the surgical ability and aesthetic sensitivity to reshape your nose to complement the unique features of your face. Then, after surgery, you’ll need to care for yourself in ways that enable your nose to heal properly, without damage or distortion.

Here, we’ll explain how you can play your role in recovery to ensure optimal results from your rhinoplasty. Knowing what to expect, being patient, and taking appropriate care of yourself are all critical to a successful outcome from nose surgery.

What Is the Typical Recovery Time After Rhinoplasty?

When considering your recovery from nose surgery, you’ll have both short-term and long-term milestones.

Immediately after your surgery, you’ll need to rest at home for a week to ten days as your nose begins to heal. Once your nose has healed sufficiently, you’ll be able to resume most normal activities, though you’ll still need to refrain from strenuous exertion for a few more weeks.

At this point, your nose will still have some swelling. As that swelling gradually goes down, you’ll begin to see the results of your surgery, typically after three or four weeks. But it takes much longer for all the swelling to disappear and the final results to emerge. That can take up to a year. It’s at that one-year point that you can consider your nose fully healed.

What Are the Essential Dos After Undergoing Rhinoplasty?

After your rhinoplasty surgery, your nose may be packed, and you’ll probably have a protective splint. These measures are to protect your nose during the first stage of healing. You’ll need to protect your nose and encourage healing in other ways, too. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Follow your doctor’s instructions. Rhinoplasty is a highly customized procedure, and your care instructions will be tailored to the unique aspects of your surgery, your medical history, and your recovery. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully and thoroughly.
• Take the medications your surgeon prescribes. These may include antibiotics to prevent infection, steroids to control swelling, and pain medications to address any discomfort.
• Keep your head elevated. For the first few days, it’s important that you keep your head elevated, especially when sleeping. This helps keep swelling down and protects your nose from accidental pressure, as might happen were you to roll onto your nose in your sleep.
• Apply cold compresses. This helps to reduce swelling and promote healing.
• Take walks. Gentle walks promote your circulation, which helps your body drain fluids from your healing nose. Walks can also help you relax, which is also beneficial to healing after surgery.
• Get plenty of rest. Rest and sleep help your body restore itself and repair the tissues that have been disturbed in the surgery.
• Eat a healthy mix of foods. Your body needs a healthy mix of proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients as you heal. The best source for these is a varied diet with a special focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins.
• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
• Be patient. It will take time for your nose to heal, but it’s worth the wait. Don’t rush back into your normal routine before your nose has fully healed.

What Should You Absolutely Avoid Doing After Rhinoplasty?

• Don’t blow your nose. For the first six weeks after your surgery, it’s important that you avoid blowing your nose. If your nose is stuffy or you have trouble breathing, call your surgeon immediately. He or she may prescribe a saline rinse or saline nasal sprays.
• Don’t bump, hit, or apply pressure to your nose. Avoid situations and actions that might result in a bump to your nose. These can include pulling clothing over your head, walking in a crowded place, playing with a child or pet, or playing sports.
• Don’t wear glasses that rest on your nose. These can distort to reshaped structure of your nose. Contacts are fine, and there are ways to suspend glasses in front of the eyes with tape so that they don’t touch the nose.
• Don’t touch the area around your nose. This can increase the risk of infection.
• Avoid anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. These can increase swelling and the risk of bleeding. Talk with your surgeon if you take any of these medications for another condition.
• Don’t smoke. If you’re a smoker, you need to refrain from smoking for several weeks before and after your surgery. Smoking constricts blood vessels and increases the risk of complications.
• Avoid sun exposure. The skin on your nose will be particularly sensitive in the weeks after your surgery. Sun exposure can lead to burning, itching, and even permanent discoloration.

How to Choose the Right Rhinoplasty Surgeon

Rhinoplasty is one of the most delicate plastic surgery procedures, and it requires exceptional skill to perform well. It also requires a special sensitivity to each patient’s special facial characteristics, so that the reshaped nose enhances the appearance of the entire face. When rhinoplasty is done well, people will notice that you look more attractive, but most won’t suspect that the change is due to a reshaped nose.

Look for a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience performing nose surgery. Look at before-and-after pictures of actual patients for natural-looking changes that enhance the unique appearance of each face. Most importantly, schedule a consultation to meet the doctor, ask questions, and hear what they recommend.

Schedule Your Houston Rhinoplasty Consultation Today

Contact Livingston Plastic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with Christopher Livingston, MD to learn how rhinoplasty might benefit you. Dr. Livingston is a renowned plastic and reconstruction surgeon who consistently creates beautifully natural-looking results for his patients. Board-certified, with over 20 years of plastic surgery experience, Dr. Livingston is considered one of the best rhinoplasty surgeons in the Houston area.