Rhinoplasty Post Operative Care Guide

  After rhinoplasty treatment, the healing process requires time and patience. Actively participating in postoperative care is as important as surgery.          

Please find the list of recommendations below.

Feel free to ask any question that you might have without hesitation.

•  You may not be breathing through your nose due to tampons inside your nose from the operating room. Do your breathing carefully while using your mouth. Your doctor will determine the duration of the bumpers on your nose.
•  It is important to take enough fluids. Sips of juice, water and light drinks will help alleviate the dry mouth caused by breathing through your mouth. During this time, consume soft foods. You may use lip balms to keep your lips from drying.
• Only use medications prescribed by your doctor. Do not use drugs containing blood thinners or drugs that prevent blood leakage.
•  After rhinoplasty surgery in Turkey , patients’ nose is expected that to have some leakage. This will be pink/light red. But if there is a constant red blood running through your nose, you should notify your doctor at the soonest.
•  When you come out of surgery, you will have plaster on your nose. These are as important for protecting your nose as they are for shaping your nose. Do not touch or spoil these dressings; will be removed by your doctor within a week.
• The small bumper under your nose may change as needed (or remove and throw away if there is no bleeding).
•  Do not rub or attempt to wipe your nose. Be protective of your nose which is recently had surgery to not to have direct hits. Wear button-down clothes from the front. Stay away from T-shirts and turtleneck collars.
•  Make sure to brush your teeth with utmost care and use only a soft toothbrush. Don’t pucker up your lips or try to lift your upper lip any higher than it actually needs to.
•  Avoid pushing, bending, lifting heavy objects (especially your young children), exercises and sports that require exertion for two weeks after your rhinoplasty surgery.
•  Avoid direct exposure to the sun’s rays for a month.
•  Once your surgeon removes your dressings, it is possible to observe swelling and discolouring on your nose. This is perfectly normal and does not require medical attention.
•  You may feel drowsiness at the tip of your nose and sometimes on your upper lip. This will disappear in a few weeks.
•  Once your surgeon removes the tampons, you can gently clean your nose 2-3 times a day using tap water q-tips gently. Do not put the q-tips up inside your nostrils.
•  Your nose will still be blocked even when your surgeon removes the tampons. This is the normal response of tissues to surgery. Try not to scratch your nose for a week. Do not use nasal sprays or drops.
•  During and after your surgery, exhaustion and weakness are quite frequent after the use of sedatives or drugs that you have taken. You’ll feel stronger in a day or so. Sometimes there’s insomnia. To help lessen the effects of this, you may be provided sleeping pills during the first week after the operation.
•  Depression between 12 and 36 hours after your rhinoplasty surgery is not uncommon. It may be surprising to see your nose for the first time after the surgery. Remember that you need to be patient and realistic. Please note that your nose has been subjected to a surgical procedure and will recover over time and get much better. It may take a period of 6 to 12 months for your nose to fully heal.
•  After the dressings are taken, you can return to your normal work life (depending on the type of work you do). 
•  Be sure talk to your surgeon for all of your postoperative appointments. These are necessary for postoperative photos and for your doctor to follow-up with your recovery and the development of your nose and to assess the development in the appearance of your nose. Your surgeon may give you your postoperative appointments in 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months from surgery.
• Do not wear glasses for two months unless the end of surgery is mandatory. You can wear your glasses with plaster wire in place. Your surgeon will inform you further on the use of glasses.