After the nose job: What should be considered?

The proper conduct after a nose job is much easier than you think. Many aspects are intuitive and comprehensible at first glance.

You can find our advice regarding wound healing and the common consequences of rhinoplasty in the post-op after effects section of our website.

• Wound healing, supportive measures
• Swelling
• Post-operative pain

After the corrective procedure, the nose will usually require 6-8 weeks to heal and during this time you should avoid activities that are particularly stimulating to your blood circulation.

You will also find additional tips on what you should pay attention to in order to achieve the best possible end result of your rhinoplasty:

Rhinoplasty automatically creates an inflammatory process in the body in the operated area, especially around the tip of the nose. By anti-inflammatory nutrition the first healing phase can be decisively influenced for a better result of the operation.

Read more about anti-inflammatory nutrition.

When can I do sports? What physical activities are allowed?

Any physical activity should be restricted. Sport should be strictly avoided for the first six weeks. 

Physical exertion results in a significant increase in blood circulation of the face, which can lead to swelling of the nose. Weight training also involves excessive facial movement, with the risk of displacement of cartilage and bone. The same applies to jogging. You should avoid engaging in contact sports for at least three months. 

My patients usually wear a nose splint for a week after the nose surgery. During this time, the facial swelling has largely subsided. If any bruising occurs, it will be visible for a few days longer, so you should anticipate a period of about 10-15 days. You should avoid sports activities for about 6 weeks after the procedure and intense sun exposure for at least 10 weeks.

You can wash your face as usual once the outer nose splint and the suture material have been removed by us after one week. However, wipe the face dry cautiously and without applying too much pressure. 

Preferably, use gentle facial care products to degrease and cleanse the skin that may be irritated by the splint. During the first few days, make-up should be applied only sparingly to the nose area so that the skin can breathe.

Be careful not to move your upper lip too much when brushing your teeth.

Hair wash is possible, but it should be done by keeping the nose splint and the suture material on the nasal bridge absolutely dry. It is best to seek the assistance of another person. 

You should refrain from blowing your nose for the first 4 weeks. 

Only the use of clean paper tissues to carefully wipe up the secretion is acceptable. If a lot of secretion is present in the nose, use decongestant nasal drops and then perform nasal showers to cleanse the nose. Pulling up the nose is allowed - even if it is frowned upon. 

If you have to sneeze, please do it through the wide open mouth and not inside the nose. In unfavorable cases, the strong and sudden build-up of pressure in the nose can cause postoperative nosebleeds. 

Can I lie on my side at night?

Use a small pillow when you sleep so that your head does not sink into the pillow and no pressure is exerted on your nose. That way you can also lie on your side. 

Optimally, you should position your upper body and especially your head higher than the rest of the body to reduce the pressure and thus the accumulation of fluid in the wound. If you have a slatted bed frame, place it on the first or second setting. 

You should avoid direct sun exposure for the first six weeks after surgery. These include exposure to the sun in a solarium, sports or travelling to southern countries where the temperature is much higher than here in Germany. Exposure to solar radiation may lead to increased pigmentation of the skin and higher temperatures lead to increased swelling, which may have a negative impact on the healing process. The heat effect leads to increased blood circulation, which can manifest itself in increased swelling. 

In rare cases, the UV light can provoke a temporary discoloration of the fine scar at the nasal bridge. Therefore, apply sunscreen with a high sun protection factor for the first few weeks. 

As a person who wears glasses, it is recommended that you refrain from wearing them for four weeks after the operation and switch to contact lenses. If you cannot avoid wearing glasses, they should be lightweight and have a wide contact surface on the skin of the nose. Otherwise, bone modeling could be adversely affected. In any case, it is advisable to cushion the contact surface extensively, e.g. with cotton wool.