One of the most common questions regarding rhinoplasty at the Centre for Rhinoplasty at Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery is “How long will it take for me to recover?” Many patients imagine a month or so of unsightliness. This is far from true!
The majority of our patients are able to return to social activities within days of taking off the cast, which occurs approximately 1 week after surgery. At that point, depending on the person, there may be a faint yellowish discoloration due to bruising, below the eyes, or there may be no bruising at all by that point. The amount of swelling is highly variable, but the majority are able to appear socially acceptable within a day or so after the cast is removed. While it still takes a full year to get to that final result, a socially acceptable result happens very soon after surgery. Patients typically have swelling in the tip of the nose that makes the surgical changes difficult to see early on. As the swelling dissipates, the nose slowly takes shape to make the change desired. Even those patients that undergo an open approach to the surgery will have a nice early recovery. For revision rhinoplasty patients, the experience is similar.
During the surgery, time is taken to ensure that the bruising and swelling do not get out of control, which leads to favorable outcomes with a speedy recovery. Proper planning and careful analysis allow for the surgery to move along at a swift pace; these factors also contribute to diminished swelling. During your consultation I can give you an idea of your expectations during your healing based on your anatomy.
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