Frequently Asked Questions
The skin on my nose is flaky and I have acne. Is this a concern? How can I resolve this?
There is little other than gently cleaning your nose using SkinMedica facial cleaner that you can do about your skin. It has to heal and this takes time. Usually it’s a matter of several weeks.
The tip of my nose is still very swollen. When will the swelling resolve? Should I ice my nose in order to reduce swelling?
The tip of the nose is the last area for the swelling and healing to resolve. Although it varies, this can last up to a year or occasionally more before the final result is obtained. I have had several patients who have commented on the slow but continued improvements to the refinement and shape of their tip even after a year. In this area of the nose, a change of even less than 0.5mm can be significant in the overall appearance. Waiting is frustrating to many people, but it’s necessary. It would be great if the final results came quickly, but this unfortunately isn’t the case with rhinoplasty and particularly the tip. You can ice your nose however the effect becomes less and less with time. Everyone should ice for a minimum of 3 days after surgery. Icing should be 5 minutes (by the clock) every half an hour. Cover your nose plus your eyes, cheeks and upper lip.
I'm happy with the way my nose looks now. I'm scared it will get too small or become too defined after swelling goes down. Will it look the same after the swelling resolves?
It turns out that this is a very difficult question to answer. There will be changes, so yes your nose will get smaller. To the point that you think it’s too small? That depends on what you consider to be too small. I doubt it. There have only been 2 patients ever who have felt their nose was too small; a man and a woman. I disagree with their assessment in fact. Will it be more refined? Yes, that too will happen. Again, there has not been a patient who felt their nose was too refined.
My nose is very sensitive. Is this a concern? What can I do to resolve it?
The sensitivity is due to the tiny nerves having been cut during surgery. This is expected. They will re-grow over several months.
I have blood dripping out of my nostrils. Is this a concern? What can I do to resolve this?
This is of no concern. Although it would be clearly better if there was no longer any blood. If it is a small amount, it doesn’t require any intervention. The lining of the nose is sensitive after surgery and things which wouldn’t cause problems like bleeding occur. This should stop on its own. You can wait for it to spontaneously resolve. If this persists more than a few days, please call the office.
I'm worried that I damaged my nose while blowing or cleaning it. How much side to side force or movement is needed to ruin the nose's underlying structure?
It takes quite a lot of movement to result in damaging the nose so I wouldn’t worry too much however obviously no movement is best.
I picked my nose yesterday and pulled out two big blood crusts. is this a concern? What can I do to resolve this?
There is no concern. Crusting isn’t serious. It’s annoying because it interferes with breathing. It resolves again with time. If bothersome, then having showers, a humidifier and a saline (salt water) spray helps.
My nose splint/bandage fell off. This is a concern? What can I do to resolve this?
This is nothing to be concerned about. Let the office know.
When can I start to exercise?
It’s a question of heart rate. You must avoid raising the heart rate as this causes increased blood flow and this causes more swelling. For example, you can run 8 days after surgery as long as it is a jog slow enough that you can carry on a conversation with your jogging partner. The length of time not exercising varies between people. The goal is to avoid additional swelling. Why? If it was only an issue of temporary swelling and prolonged recovery then it’s up to the patient. However in some people, (not all and frankly it’s a minority), prolonged swelling has a negative impact on the outcome in 2 ways. 1. It likely increases the low risk of developing permanent fluctuations in the size of the nose and 2. The final result is wider and less defined. Is this a big deal? For some, yes. Hence I want my patients to have their swelling clear ASAP.
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