A nose job, otherwise known as a rhinoplasty, is a simple surgery on the nose for cosmetic or medical reasons. The surgery typically
involves opening up the nose and sometimes adding a small piece of rib or cartilage to straighten the nasal septum. Since it’s an actual surgical procedure, you will need some time to recover. Here is a breakdown of the nose job recovery time and what happens at every stage of a postoperative nose job surgery;
Nose job recovery time: Week 1
The first week is the hardest because you are still very bruised, swollen, and in pain. However, the worst part of the healing process is the external and
internal splint that are placed to hold and support your nose for easy recovery. You feel stuffed and the only way to breath is through your mouth. Expect that during this period you may feel tired, thirsty, irritable, and very sleepy.
Nose job recovery time: Week 2
By week two you should have gotten the splints removed so you can breathe better, and the bruising has gone down. However, you still have some swelling to deal with, and the sutures are still a bit noticeable. You can go back to work if you don’t mind people knowing you had surgery but you shouldn’t do any heavy lifting or work out.
Nose job recovery time: Week 3 and 4
The bruising is completely gone and you can’t see any swelling and sutures. With some make up, you can easily hide any redness and
imperfection and go back to normal activity. The only telltale sign that you may have undergone a nose job is the swelling, but in time, your nose will decrease in size until nobody can notice the post-op symptoms except your newly-shaped nose.
Nose job recovery time: Month 2 onward
Life is completely back to normal by the start of the first month, and you can even go back to working out. It is expected that there are no visible signs that you had a surgery and you can now appreciate the improvement on your facial profile as the nose is starting to take shape. However, the internal healing will continue from here to a year or so, and the nose will keep improving by the day.
How much recovery time you will need depend on your comfort level being seen by people. Some people are okay going back to work after one week while others go back after two weeks when it’s easier to hide the swelling with makeup. Rhinoplasty causes very minimal to moderate pain, so ideally, you shouldn’t be in pain after 2-3 weeks.