Rhinoplasty Swelling

Rhinoplasty Swelling is quite an important factor to consider when considering nose surgery. Remember that your nose is the centre to the entire face and any slight swelling can have an amplified perception when assessing your recovery and results.

When your surgery is completed, a couple of things need to be remembered as you await the -final results of your surgical procedure. After your procedure, a small nasal cast is placed along with tape to reduce Rhinoplasty swelling within the first seven days. This effectively compresses down the nasal tissue tightly against your cartilage and bone. A little swelling becomes apparent after the cast is removed.

Apart from the cast, the surgical process often involves a reduction of the nose height. So, when it is viewed from a frontal position, the nose can appear wider or portray a persistent bump in the early days after the operation. This is due to:

• The position at which the bone is broken during surgery is by the nasal bone underneath the eyes and the mid-section of the nose that the hump is slightly raised.
• The interplay of shadow and highlight affects the way the nasal width is perceived as you move your view across the nose.
• The healing of the bone takes place when a callus is formed and it stabilises the two interlinking nasal bone before the break was made. The final bone that results when healing is complete will be lighter than the callus. The Callus will give way to the normal bone after a couple of months subsequent to surgery.
• The place where the bump was removed will also heal over time and return to normal size and shape. This will then flatten, so some patience is needed.

There are certain medications that can be administered after 6 months from your surgery to speed up any internal swelling. This is mainly for patients who have undergone a tip correction under open Rhinoplasty technique.

In the same vein, as much as Rhinoplasty swelling is a natural issue of concern, the thickness of your skin should be a consideration. The tip of your nose will take some time to redrape and become a narrower fit. The nose tip is always the last to fall back into place. Head elevation and some forms of post-operative splinting can be applied by surgeons to reduce swelling and speed up your recovery.

Surgical Approach

The approach used for surgery will be a factor in Rhinoplasty swelling and this is partly down to whether the surgeon used open or a closed technique as open techniques more often produce more swelling, if the nasal bones were broken, history of nasal surgeries and the surgeon’s technique.

Timing of Swelling

On a time basis, Rhinoplasty swelling is expected during the first week with moderate swelling reported around the bottom corner of the eyes. Inside the second week, it is expected that the swelling and bruising will considerably reduce with no apparent visibility.

It is expected that up to the 3^rd or 4^th month after the procedure, the swelling will make the nose appear puffy and will take up to a year before the absolute final results can be visible.

Remember that swelling in each patient is different but it is safe to say, that any visible external swelling often disappears 7 days after your procedure.

For more information, or to arrange your first appointment, visit our Rhinoplasty Page.

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Sanjay Rai

Sanjay is a Senior Clinical Member at Berkeley Square Medical carrying over a decade of experience. He has assisted over 1500 surgeries carried out at the hospital supporting patients both pre and post-surgery throughout their treatment journeys. This article was written with the contribution of Dr Taimur Shoaib, our Consultant Plastic Surgeon.

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