Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

silentdrifter13 said:Thanks for the advice, 🙂 but how long am I supposed to keep this up?

Honestly, I have no clue. 🤷 For me, it took about three weeks before I could start blowing... you know, just a little bit at a time. It’s been six weeks now and I can breathe through my nose normally. So, look... if there's a little leakage, just blow very gently. Don't try to "clear" it like you usually would based on how it feels. All I know is you have to avoid any pressure, so just be gentle.😁

What’s the earliest age someone can go in for surgery? I mean, how long do bones actually keep growing and all that? What would you guys recommend?

Hey, guys, I need some help if anyone actually knows what they're talking about! I'm low-key panicking because I accidentally smacked my nose last night—just right below the tip. It wasn't even a massive hit, but man, it hurt. And of course, the second I looked in the mirror this morning, I could swear the middle looks a bit dented, and there's this lingering, dull ache right there. Look, I don't know if I'm just being paranoid and imagining things, but I've got a really bad feeling about this. For context, today marks exactly one week since my surgery (I'm still rocking the bandages), so I'm wondering if it's actually possible to cause some kind of damage this early on? Has anyone else dealt with something like this... help please 😢

silentdrifter13 said:Hey, guys, I need some help if anyone knows what's going on. I'm kind of panicking because I accidentally smacked my nose last night—just a bit below the tip. It wasn't a massive hit, but it hurt quite a bit. When I looked in the mirror this morning, I honestly thought the middle part of my nose looked a little dented, and there's still this slight ache right there. I can't tell if I'm just overthinking things, but I have a really bad feeling about this. It’s been exactly one week since my surgery (still rocking the bandages), and I'm wondering if it's actually possible to cause some damage this early on. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Help please. 😢

Maybe the best move is just to call your doctor and give them the full story if you're worried?
I don't want to say anything for certain, after all, who am I to know these things, haha, but something similar happened to me once. 🙂
Basically, I had this crazy dream and ended up punching myself right in the nose while I was sleeping. 🤣 It had been two weeks since my surgery at the time. It definitely hurt, but nothing actually broke or anything.

Megan Martinez76 said:What's the earliest age someone can go in for surgery? I mean, how long do bones keep growing and all that? What do you guys recommend?

I'm not entirely sure, maybe I've got it wrong, but I think the cutoff is around 16 years old.

Brenda White45 said:Maybe it’s best to just check in with the doctor and give them the full story if you're feeling anxious?
I don't want to claim I'm an expert here—who am I to know anything about this stuff, haha—but I actually went through something pretty similar myself. 🙂
Basically, I had this wild dream and ended up punching myself right in the nose while I was out cold. 🤣 It had been about two weeks since my surgery; it hurt, sure, but nothing serious happened.

How funny, that actually happened to me too... once in my life, no more, no less. I was dreaming away, smacked my nose (actually hit it pretty hard), and it was also around the two or three-week mark post-op. No lasting damage... 🙂 (other than the trauma) 😁

silentdrifter13 — sorry, I assumed you were female... didn't catch the name. 😉

Brenda White45 said:maybe you should just talk to the doctor and tell them everything if you're feeling scared?
I don't want to say for sure, I mean, who am I to know anything about this stuff, haha, but something similar happened to me too 🙂
Basically, I had this crazy dream and ended up punching myself right in the nose by accident 🤣 It was two weeks after my surgery, so it hurt, but nothing actually went wrong

I don't know, I guess I'll just see how things play out over the next few days. God willing, everything turns out fine 🤷

Megan Martinez76 said:What's the youngest age someone can go in for surgery? I mean, how long do bones keep growing and all that? What do you guys recommend?

Hey... look, I already mentioned this, but when it comes to doctors, plenty of them will operate on kids even before they hit 16. But honestly? Facial bones are still forming and everything. I don't think anything too drastic happens, but personally, I wouldn't touch a surgeon's knife until I was at least 16. I definitely wouldn't have done it any earlier than that myself.

Ashley Young34 said:If anyone knows, I’d really appreciate an answer😉
If I decide to go through with surgery under local anesthesia, what kind of checkups do I need to get done beforehand?🤷
thanks😉

Mine was done with local anesthesia, and they needed me to get blood work done. The big thing is checking your coagulation, since there's quite a bit of bleeding during the procedure... but since my mom is a doctor and super protective, she had me do an EKG and a few other tests just to be safe... Plus, they always grill you about what medications you're taking (if any), whether you have asthma, or any other health issues...

Rachel Foster45 said:Mine was just local anesthesia, so I needed blood work done. Coagulation is the big one since there's a lot of bleeding during surgery... but since my mom's a doctor and pretty hands-on, she had me do an EKG and a few other tests too. They also ask if you're on any meds or if you deal with stuff like asthma.

Thanks a ton😉

Hey everyone... figured I’d drop my experience here in case it helps anyone out—this forum was a lifesaver for me...🙂
I had my surgery on June 16th with Dr. Tony... they used local anesthesia, so honestly, I didn't feel a thing, it was way too easy 🙂
Had the tampons removed after three days—it stung a little, but those few seconds weren't exactly unbearable... then I took the mold out later. I'm beyond happy with the results; the doctor even mentioned it might settle another 10%, but honestly, I love it just the way it is right now... hehe...
A couple of days later, I was already blowing my nose—not like I really needed to, but just testing things out because curiosity got the better of me... couldn't help myself... hehe... everything felt totally normal. The bruising faded after about 10 days, but by day 7, I could pretty much hide it with makeup. I still have a few stitches left, but you can't even see them since they're tucked away back there; they should fall out soon enough...🙂
I actually ended up bumping into it accidentally two or three times... it stung for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but nothing serious happened, thank God...🙂
It's funny how it works—you tell everyone "don't touch me," and then you end up bumping into it yourself 🙂
As for the lab work, I needed CBC, PT, PTT, and Fibrinogen...
One last thing: the nurses and doctors were incredibly kind and professional, everything was top-notch...
I even stayed over at one of the nurses' places... all five nights! 🙂
If anyone has questions, just ask... I definitely grilled people with every possible question before my surgery 🙂
Later

Since this forum was such a lifesaver for me leading up to my surgery, I really feel like I should share my own experience here too 🙂

I actually had my procedure just three weeks ago with Dr. Tony—after quite a stressful ordeal trying to track down the right specialist.
Basically, about six months ago, I broke my nose. On the surface, you couldn't tell much, but functionally speaking, things were a total disaster.
I saw a few private specialists and visited some hospitals, but in the end, I chose Dr. Tony. He insisted on waiting at least six months after the break to see how everything settled before deciding on surgery.
Even though the procedure itself was pretty intense and complicated, they performed it under local anesthesia with sedation. I was honestly terrified of that part—just the thought of being awake and having to listen to them working was nerve-wracking—but it wasn't like that at all; I was out cold the whole time! My sister told me at one point that I could move over to another bed, and once I did, I was already in the mood to chatty-chat with the other girls who had been operated on that day 🙂
I was still feeling a bit loopy from the anesthesia that day, so I felt pretty great, though the second and third days weren't exactly easy. It wasn't exactly pain, per se, just this weird discomfort from having those nasal tampons in. I guess it's just different when there’s actual hardware in your nose versus just being congested! Plus, my eyes were stinging like crazy because of my nearsightedness, but I kept pushing myself to watch TV and browse the web 🙂
Getting the tampons removed didn't hurt one bit, even though I was bracing for impact—especially since I'd seen quite a bit of blood coming from one nostril earlier. But honestly? Nothing. I didn't feel a thing; it was more like just blowing your nose... Once they were out, I could finally breathe again and actually smell things, which is such an incredible feeling.
On the seventh day, they took off the splint that was held on by medical tape. I didn't have any bruising or swelling at all, just a little yellowish tint where the splint had been pressing against my skin. That cleared up after two days. I was actually out and about the very same day they removed the splint, and nobody noticed a thing—I didn't even try to hide that little yellow spot.
I'm not entirely sure how many internal stitches there are; a few of mine seemed to fall out, so I just gently blew my nose. But maybe there are still more in there, I haven't really noticed.
As for my nose, I am beyond thrilled! It looks wonderful, and I know it’s going to settle even more beautifully.
I am absolutely delighted with the doctor, both the senior staff and the younger ones 🙂 And especially the nurses, who were so sweet and called me at home regularly just to check in and make sure everything was okay

Anyway, that's about it... I don't know what else to say... but please, feel free to ask if anyone is curious about anything! 🙂

It’s officially been one month since my surgery, and honestly, I am absolutely thrilled with how the rhinoplasty looks. Most of the sutures are still tucked inside my nose; I’m strictly following orders and won't touch them until they start falling out on their own. I’m also still being super careful about not blowing my nose—just very gentle sniffing if I absolutely have to. Over the last three or four days, though, I’ve been feeling this intense tightness right at the base of my right nostril. My best guess is that the internal healing process is just pulling things around, but man, it’s uncomfortable. It’s actually pretty painful because it limits how much I can move my upper lip. But hey, I suppose that’s just part of the deal... hopefully it’s totally normal. :S
I have to admit, I’ve had those little moments of panic where I’ve accidentally bumped my nose maybe three or four times while getting dressed or just sitting up in bed 🙂, but thank God there hasn't been any actual changes or issues...

Hey everyone! Quick question for the group: do you think I should be avoiding laughing or making any sudden facial expressions while I'm recovering from surgery?
I'm not just talking about how much it hurts to laugh, but whether it could actually mess with the bone healing process—like, if the nose might get "stretched out" or something 😁. Has anyone here had their doctor give them specific advice on this? I know it might sound like a stupid question, but since I'm still pretty "fresh" from my procedure, I'll take any advice I can get 😉

silentdrifter13 said:Hey everyone! I wanted to toss a question out to the group: do you think you should avoid laughing or making sudden facial expressions while recovering from surgery?
I’m not just talking about the discomfort of laughing, but rather whether those movements could actually interfere with the bone healing process—like if the nose could somehow get "stretched" out 😁. Did any of your doctors happen to mention anything about this? I know it might sound like a silly thing to ask, but since I’m still pretty much in the early stages of recovery, I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts or experiences. 😉

My doctors didn't specifically tell me to watch out for that, they just warned me not to bump my face, 🙂 but I still made a conscious effort to keep the laughter to a minimum just in case. Honestly, laughing didn't really hurt at first.
However, over the last few days, smiling has started to feel a bit tender. I suppose that's just part of the healing process, but who knows...

It’s been 11 days since my surgery, so I figured I’d jump in here and share my first impressions, though honestly, they aren't great. Regarding the profile, I’m actually happy—no complaints there. In fact, having a bad profile was the whole reason I even decided to go through with this. But the reason I’m unhappy with the results is how the nose looks from the front. It’s just way too upturned (at least 5mm), which makes my nasal bridge stick out way too much. All in all, it doesn't fit my face, and even though it's still early days, I’m already thinking about a revision. Does anyone know how long you have to wait before you can get a second surgery, and is it even possible to lower the tip like that? Also, even though it’s been 11 days, my upper lip and nose feel practically paralyzed; I can barely move them. Is that normal or...? Sorry for the massive wall of text, but I'm genuinely spiraling over this outcome and could really use some constructive advice.

silentdrifter13 said:It’s been 11 days since my surgery, and I wanted to share my initial impressions—though they aren't exactly glowing. Regarding my profile, I am satisfied; I have zero complaints there, especially since an unsatisfactory profile was the primary reason I opted for this procedure in the first place. However, the reason I am unhappy with the results is the frontal view of my nose. It is simply too upturned—by at least 5mm—which makes my nasal bridge look far too prominent. All in all, it doesn't suit my face, and while I realize it is incredibly early to make such a judgment, I am already considering a revision. I am curious if anyone knows how long one must wait before undergoing a second surgery, and whether it is even possible to lower the tip like this. One more thing: even though it has been 11 days, my upper lip and nose feel practically paralyzed—I can barely move them. Is this normal, or...? Apologies for the lengthy post, but I am truly desperate due to this outcome, and any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated.

You won't need a second surgery because your nose will definitely settle down—but that takes time. It took me more than two months for my nose to drop, and it was the same story with my lip returning to normal.
And you can't go under for anything else until at least a year has passed.

Laura Castillo7;21529211 said:You won't need a second surgery because your nose will definitely drop, but you have to give it time. It took me more than two months before things started settling, and just as long for my lip to get back to normal.
And you can't even think about another procedure until at least a year has passed.

For me to actually be happy with the results, my nose would have to drop a whole lot more. Did yours start out looking really elevated and then eventually settle down? And honestly, how much can the nose actually change compared to right after the surgery?🤷

silentdrifter13 said:So, it’s been 11 days since my surgery, and I figured I’d drop in to share how things are going. Honestly? Not great. The profile view looks fine—I’m actually happy with that part. To be fair, having a bad profile was the whole reason I even went through with this mess in the first place. But looking at my nose from the front? Total disaster. It’s way too upturned, like, at least 5mm too much, which makes the bridge stick out like crazy. It just doesn't fit my face at all. I know, I know, it’s super early to be judging the final result, but I’m already seriously considering a revision. Does anyone actually know how long you have to wait before you can go back under the knife for a second time? And is it even possible to lower the tip like that? Also, quick question—even though it’s been 11 days, my upper lip and my nose feel basically paralyzed. Like, I can barely move them. Is that normal or am I freaking out for nothing? Sorry for the massive rant, but I’m honestly spiraling over this failed result. If anyone has any actual constructive advice, I’m all ears.

Don't even sweat it... I totally get where you're coming from because I've been exactly where you are. Honestly, your nose is always going to settle or sag a little bit after a while anyway. That’s actually why the good surgeons—the ones who actually know what they're doing—plan ahead and intentionally lift it a bit higher than you might think. They do it so you don't end up staring in the mirror later thinking your nose looks like it's "drooping." Plus, all that swelling can actually pull everything upward during recovery. Ugh, seriously, I looked like a complete pig right after my procedure.😁 It’s been seven months since the surgery, and there's still zero sign of that pig ever showing up. Seriously, nothing. Not a trace.🙂
So, you think it’s totally normal for your upper lip and nose to be paralyzed too? Like, seriously? I still remember how my brother used to mess with me about it—he'd tell me I looked like some kind of absolute maniac whenever I tried to laugh because my smile was just completely deformed. And the nose? Yeah, no kidding, I couldn't even move my nose at all back then. But now? Now I can twitch my nose like a little rodent. Just thought I'd share.😁
Just stay calm, okay? It’s all gonna be fine. You won't even need another surgery, I promise. Just remember what I told you.😉

Thanks for the encouragement, jadecrane3 🙂 Honestly, with everything going on right now, reading about someone actually having a good experience is a nice change of pace, even if I can't really wrap my head around something like that working out for me.