Hello. I’m Dr. Michael Sullivan, facial plastic surgeon at the Sullivan Centre in Columbus, Ohio. I specialize in rhinoplasty surgery.
One of the questions I’m commonly asked about rhinoplasty is, “What is the recovery like?” and actually quite honestly, it’s a pretty – I don’t want to say simple but it’s a pretty routine recovery. Most people don’t experience much in the way of discomfort. Although I always give everyone a prescription for pain medication, I find that most people don’t take anything more than maybe Tylenol or extra strength Tylenol the following day after surgery.
Sometimes they might have a little headache the night of the surgery and might need to take something a little bit stronger. But that’s pretty unusual. I think probably the most annoying thing after rhinoplasty is the fact that you have stuffiness and congestion like you would with a head cold. That’s expected because the same swelling you have on the outside is a result of the surgery you have on the inside and it takes just about 10 days for that swelling to resolve so that people feel that they’re breathing better.
I do not use packing or rarely ever use packing in a nose. So my patients can breathe through their nose after surgery, which is a great relief to them. I tell patients that the nasal bones are going to be fragile for probably about six to eight weeks after the surgery just like if you’ve broken your arm or your leg. There’s going to be need for some stability there.
After about six to eight weeks, those nasal bones are as strong as they were before. So people can usually resume normal exercise about eight days after the procedure, stay away from any balls or bats that can hit your nose. But after about six to eight weeks, those nasal bones are just as strong as they were before.
Another question that’s often asked is, “Can I wear my glasses?” and typically of those glasses are light and they sit up high. It’s not a problem to put those on the week after surgery once the cast is removed. But if those glasses tend to ride down onto the nasal bones, typically I will tell people to support them on the forehead by just taping them up for a few weeks after surgery.
I hope these tips were helpful. If you have any further questions regarding rhinoplasty surgery or the recovery process following rhinoplasty, please contact me Dr. Michael Sullivan at the Sullivan Centre or call us at 614-436-8888.
