Any patient who has undergone nose surgery has to understand that no matter how easy the operation may have seemed there are certain precautions to take and rules to obey before life gets back to normal again. Nose reshaping surgery is 60% knowledge and experience and the remaining 40% art.
What to do and what not to do after nose surgery
Though it is not considered an easy one among the types of plastic surgery that are practised nowadays, it is not very difficult either compared to other types of human surgery. What a patient who has undergone a nose job might find annoying is the period of time that immediately follows the procedure and the months to come, since the 'final' results of the surgery can only be noticeable within one year or less.
As soon as the procedure is over, the surgeon places packing into the patient’s nostrils. The packing must be kept there for about a week because it provides two very important functions: it keeps the septum and the mucosal lining in place and also reduces bleeding and internal scarring. If the doctor considers that an additional external splint is necessary you should keep it there too for as long as it is needed.
During the days that follow the operation, you may feel pain in the area around the nose as well as inside it. If the doctor prescribes medication that relieves pain, you should take it for your own comfort. Healing will no complete earlier if you don’t.
As swelling (both internal and external) is one of the most obvious side-effects of nose surgery, the surgeon may prescribe decongestants too. You mustn’t underestimate the decongestants role either – they do help healing by reducing the pressure that swelling causes upon the area.
Swelling can also be reduced by keeping your head in an elevated position in the first week after the operation. When the bandage and splints have been removed, you may continue to keep swelling under control by applying cold compresses to the area.
The feeling that thousands of needles are pricking the end of your nose will be as annoying as pain. Do not try scratching your nose (the bandage won’t let you anyway); you may injure the nose structure if you touch your nose, even through the bandage. Avoid bumping the nose and any similar trauma for a few months after the surgery so as not to get adverse effects on the healing process.
Keeping out of the sun is a must for at least two months after the operation as the top skin layer of your nose might peel because of the sunrays. If you really cannot avoid going out in the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen.
Try not to blow your nose and if you feel like sneezing, do that out of your nose. Otherwise you might damage the internal nose tissue.
Avoid any kind of activity that implies effort and increases blood pressure: jogging, swimming, even sexual activity can prevent your nose from healing as it should.
Some doctors also advise using compression techniques to reduce swelling in certain cases following nose surgery. However these techniques are not good for everybody. They consist in pressing the nasal bones with your index fingers for one minute, several times a day. If your doctor hasn’t told you anything of the kind, don’t do this.