Whether you’re thinking of having a nose job, or you’ve just had one, you’ll have a lot of questions which you would like answers. Besides planning your surgery date, you might be curious about what to do straight after your operation.

Be patient with your results

A nose job only takes a few hours to perform, the results take a lot longer to show. As the months pass, its normal to have a few concerns over the outcome of your rhinoplasty surgery. It can take up to a year (maybe even longer in some cases) to see the full results of your nose surgery, so try not to panic! Recovery time caries from patient to patient, but it also will depend on the technique you opted for (open or closed rhinoplasty). Your surgeon will advise you of how long you can expect to wait. An example of this would be if you had a bump removed, your nose is likely to heal much quicker rather than if you have reconstruction on the tip. Small changes can happy every day, so a top tip would be to take photos of your nose each week to track the changes!

Keep your nose moisturised

Your surgeon might advise you to use a salt water solution called saline intranasal spray after your rhinoplasty surgery. Different surgeons will recommend different sprays but most would recommend that you use a spray for some sort for your nose for 4-6 weeks to prevent dryness of the skin.  Not only to help with flaking skin, it is important that you keep your nose tissue moistened, without wetting your dressing, as this will help your rhinoplasty surgery to heal quicker.

Don’t blow your nose

Nose surgery often leaves you feeling very congested, particularly in the first week while your splint and packing are still in place. If you find that you have an urge to blow your nose like never before, it is extremely important that you follow your surgeon’s advice on how long you should wait before doing this. Blowing your nose, sniffing or sneezing to early on could lead to a bleed, which could then lead to a prolonged recovery period or injury.  If you are unable to breath through your nose for two week then don’t worry this is a normal recovery symptom. Other symptoms includes smelling or tasting food.

Use cold compresses

Some patients experience bruising or bruised eyes during the early days of recovery. This is a normal side effect. Using a cold compress or ice pack for the first 48 hours will help to reduce the swelling. Ice packs can be used after this period to treat discomfort- just ensure ice packs are wrapped well to ensure your dressings are kept nice and dry!

Wearing zip-up tops will be easier

We would always advise you to wear loose or zip-up tops during the early stages of recovery. Zip-up tops are much easier to put on and helps to avoid your mid facial area, which will minimise the risk of catching your new nose.