As with most plastic surgery procedures, recovering from rhinoplasty takes time. Taking care of yourself and diligently following your post operative instructions are important parts of ensuring that your results are exactly what you intended.
The most difficult part of recovering from rhinoplasty is how long your final results take to show. Most of our patients at Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery see 85% of their results after about one month, that last 15% takes the longest.
Even when you work with the best rhinoplasty surgeon in NYC, it will still take about 1 year, or more, to see your final results, especially if you had changes made to the tip of your nose and/or thick skin. The tip takes the longest to heal.
After your rhinoplasty surgery, we’ll provide you with a recovery tool kit to ensure you have the best recovery experience.
The Typical Rhinoplasty Recovery Timeline
Days 1 to 3
This is when you should be maximizing your relaxation. Apply ice packs to your eyes to relieve swelling. Bruising and tenderness will be most noticeable at this time, so take your pain medication as prescribed. However, about half our rhinoplasty patients don’t even need strong pain medications and all they need is Tylenol with or without Advil.
Patients usually feel well enough to work from home by day 3. Your cast will still be on though, so you might want to keep your zoom camera off!
Days 4 to 7
Continue taking it easy and avoid any strenuous activities or exercise for the first week. You’ll probably start feeling better and more like yourself towards day 7. Be sure to continue following our recommendations and rhinoplasty recovery guide.
Your follow-up visit will be scheduled for one week after your rhinoplasty. At this time we’ll remove your cast and any external sutures used, as well as clean your nose thoroughly.
Day 8
Your cast is off and most of your swelling and bruising will be gone. There may be slight yellowing under the eyes that’s easily covered with cosmetics if you choose. A lot of our patients are able to go to work right after having their cast removed.
Week 3
Usually by the third week you can return to a work out routine. It’s a good idea to avoid activities like tennis, basketball, volleyball or other activities that could injure your nose. Otherwise you can participate in any aerobic or yoga activities.
1 Month
After about 4 weeks you’ll be able to see 70-85% of your results. Your appearance will continue to improve for up to a year after your procedure.
We’ll schedule follow up visits for 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year after for photographs.
Tips for recovering from rhinoplasty
- Avoid certain medications that increase bleeding before and for one day after surgery. This includes medications and supplements like Aspirin, Motrin, vitamin E, garlic, ginseng, and others on the list Dr. Pearlman will provide.
- Ice as much as possible the first 2 days after surgery and sleep with your head elevated to reduce swelling.
- Follow your post operative instructions carefully. Dr. Pearlman is an expert and has performed over 7,500 successful rhinoplasty surgeries. His post-operative instructions are based on experience and will provide you with an optimal recovery.
More questions about rhinoplasty surgeries in NYC?
The team at Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery is here to answer any and every question you have about your rhinoplasty procedure.
Still considering the benefits of a rhinoplasty for you? You can use our rhinoplasty planning tool to get familiar with the types of procedures Dr. Pearlman offers.
