Rhinoplasty Recovery Patient Guide

What to Expect: Your Healing Timeline

• Night Following Surgery: Expect some blood from the nose. You will have a dressing under your nose that will need to be changed up to 6 times that night because of the blood that comes out.

• Day 1: Rest with head elevated; expect some “stuffiness” similar to a heavy cold. The stitches under the nose will be cleaned. Today, start nasal saline rinses to clear out the blood and snot. The rinses are the best pain prevention!

• Day 2–3: Maximum swelling/bruising usually occurs; continue cold compresses (eyes only, not the nose).

• Day 7: Cast and suture removal in our Summit office. Take a tylenol before coming to the office for the nose cleaning. You’ll see your “new” nose for the first time! It will be swollen but it’s a first look. Sleeping will also get much better after this visit!

• Day 10: Most patients feel comfortable returning to work or school. The undereye bruises if they did show up, will be near-completely gone.

• Day 14: Another cleaning in the office by Dr. Carniol, easier than the first time. Breathing even better!

• Week 3: Light exercise can usually resume.

• Week 4: Regular gym workouts but none with other people around, so no one knocks into you!

• Week 6: 70% of the swelling has gone, but much still in the nasal tip. All restrictions including full strenuous cardio and “combat sports” are lifted. At this point, the bones and the scar tissue are relatively stable. If a traumatic injury happens now, it likely would have the same effect as one before surgery or later on. “If you break your nose, it would have happened anyway” says Dr. Carniol.

• 1 Year: The swelling is usually gone by now and you are enjoying your new nose with wonderful breathing!