Rhinoplasty

Dr. Lesavoy will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications, and washing your face. Carefully following these instructions will help your surgery go more smoothly.

While you’re making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after your surgery and to help you out for a few days if needed.

After rhinoplasty, and particularly during the first twenty-four hours, your face will feel puffy, your nose may ache, and you may have a dull headache. You can control any discomfort with the pain medication prescribed by Dr. Lesavoy. Plan on staying in bed with your head elevated (except for going to the bathroom) for the first day.

The swelling and bruising around your eyes will increase at first but will reach a peak after two or three days. Applying cold compresses will help reduce this swelling and will help you feel better. Within about two weeks, most of the swelling and bruising should disappear. (Some subtle swelling – unnoticeable to anyone but you and Dr. Lesavoy – will remain for several months.)

A little bleeding is common during the first few days following surgery, and you may continue to feel some stuffiness for several weeks. Dr. Lesavoy will probably ask you not to blow your nose for a week or so, while the tissues heal.

Nasal packing will be removed after a few days and will allow you to feel much more comfortable. After one or two weeks, all dressings, splints, and stitches should be removed.

A splint made of tape and an overlay of plastic, metal, or plaster will then be applied to help the bone and cartilage of the nose maintain their new shape.

Dr. Lesavoy will give you more specific guidelines for gradually resuming your normal activities. He’s likely to include these suggestions: avoid strenuous activity (jogging, swimming, bending, sexual relations-any activity that increases your blood pressure) for two to three weeks; avoid hitting or rubbing your nose, or getting it sunburned, for eight weeks; be gentle when washing your face and hair or using cosmetics.

You can wear contact lenses as soon as you feel like it, but glasses are more complicated. Once the splint is off, your glasses will have to be taped to your forehead or propped on your cheeks for another six to seven weeks, until your nose is completely healed.

Dr. Lesavoy will schedule frequent follow-up visits in the months after surgery, to check on the progress of your healing. If you have any unusual symptoms between visits, or any questions about what you can and can’t do, don’t hesitate to call Dr. Lesavoy.

Following nasal plastic surgery, in the first few days when your face is bruised and swollen, it’s easy to forget that you will be looking better. In fact, some patients feel depressed for a while after plastic surgery – it’s quite normal and understandable.

This stage will soon pass. As the days go by, your nose will begin to look better and your spirits will improve. Within a week or two, you won’t look as if you’ve just had surgery.

However, it’s important to remember that healing is a slow and gradual process. You may have subtle swelling for months, especially in the tip. The final results of rhinoplasty may not be apparent for a year or more.

After surgery, this patient has a smaller nose, a straighter bridge, a well defined nasal tip, and an improved angle between the nose and upper lip.

You might experience some unexpected reactions from family and friends while you are healing. They may say they don’t see a major difference in your nose. Or they may act resentful, particularly if you’ve changed something they view as a family or ethnic trait. Keep in mind why you decided to have this surgery – if you’ve met your goals, then your nasal cosmetic surgery is a success.