Life After Rhinoplasty: What to Expect

Dr. G (00:02):
You are listening to another episode of All the B's with me, Dr. G and my scrub tech Bri.

Dr. Chao (00:08):
I'm Dr. Janet Chao. I'm a facial plastic surgeon here at Restore SD Plastic Surgery, and I work closely with Dr. Kat Gallus. You are listening to All the B's, an unfiltered plastic surgery podcast with our scrub tech Bri.

Bri (00:20):
And we're going to dive right into rhinoplasty recovery. So how long does it take to recover from rhinoplasty? When can I realistically expect to start going out again?

Dr. Chao (00:32):
So most people feel okay in public about seven to 10 days after surgery after the cast comes off.

Bri (00:39):
Okay. So I can expect to be in a cast the first seven days?

Dr. Chao (00:43):
Yes. Yeah. You have a splint on your nose and you have little straws in your nostrils and

Bri (00:50):
Super cute.

Dr. Chao (00:50):
Sometimes splints on the outside is your nose and sutures on your columella, and all of that comes out on day seven, which is a glorious day for people. They're like, oh, I can breathe again and Yay.

Bri (01:01):
Best day ever.

Dr. Chao (01:02):
Best day ever.

Bri (01:03):
I know. I think you did have one patient who was like, do I have sutures all on the outside of my nose? And you're like, no, it's just holding the splint in place.

Dr. Chao (01:10):
Yeah, exactly. People get a little confused.

Bri (01:12):
You like to know these things. What is the swelling and bruising like? I've seen some crazy photos of people just like black eyes. I haven't quite seen that insane swelling yet.

Dr. Chao (01:25):
Yeah. I think that that insane swelling happens with the bony work. So people will use hammer and chisel sometimes literally to break and reset the bones in rhinoplasty, and that's when you get that big swelling. I think when you use a Piezotome or use a less traumatic technique that that can be minimized. But yeah, the bruising and puffiness is usually worse at one week and then by two or three weeks it goes away.

Bri (02:02):
Yeah, I've seen both the hammering and the Piezotome and it is just like night and day. It's such a beautiful, it's so like

Dr. Chao (02:12):
Buttery, it just melts the bone.

Bri (02:15):
It does it. Just make sure you're asking if they have a Piezotome when you get your rhinoplasty, because it will change everything

Dr. Chao (02:24):
If you're doing bony work. It's really nice. I love it.

Bri (02:27):
Yeah. If you've tried chiseling and hammer in that thing, man, this one just beautiful. Like a little saw for your nose.

Dr. Chao (02:36):
Yeah.

Bri (02:38):
What is the post-op pain like for a rhinoplasty?

Dr. Chao (02:42):
Usually people don't say that rhinoplasty is a painful surgery. People talk about being stuffy or swollen. I feel like the inability to breathe because you have those splints in your nose is the most uncomfortable thing. The fact that you have to mouth breathe for a week, but the pain, I feel like most people manage with Tylenol or a low dose pain medication for just the first day or two, and then they quickly switch over to just over the counter meds.

Bri (03:08):
Oh wow. I'd be taking that for like aweek.

Dr. Chao (03:11):
First night's the hardest, first night's the hardest, and then it gets better quickly.

Bri (03:15):
So do you suggest that people sit upright?

Dr. Chao (03:18):
Yeah, I think that helps a lot with the swelling. Totally. Sleep with a few pillows or in a nice recliner chair that you like in general for all facial procedures, I tell the patients to do that.

Bri (03:29):
Do we also need a responsible adult with us

Dr. Chao (03:33):
For a rhinoplasty? Yeah. I think anytime you have anesthesia, it's good to have a responsible adult with you the first night.

Bri (03:39):
Agreed. When I had my surgery, Eric picked me up and dropped me off. He didn't know he had to stay with me, and I was like, I will throat punch you. My kids helped me. I was so mad.

Dr. Chao (03:52):
Good for your kids though. That's character building.

Bri (03:56):
I know. Help mama to the bathroom. Yeah, he was in the dog house for quite a minute. So what are some things that you suggest people avoid while recovering from a rhinoplasty?

Dr. Chao (04:11):
So no strenuous exercise or heavy lifting for at least two weeks, and then try to avoid anything that's going to bump your nose for at least six weeks, preferably longer. Yeah. So gentle walks are great. Boxing class. No.

Bri (04:31):
Can you imagine if somebody asked you to go to box? I mean, we've heard quite a bit of things, but boxing class after a rhinoplasty.

Dr. Chao (04:37):
Yeah, that would not make me happy.

Bri (04:39):
It's like king gliding after a labiaplasty.

Dr. Chao (04:42):
Oh yeah. That doesn't sound great. Oh my gosh.

Bri (04:45):
Yeah.

Dr. Chao (04:45):
Don't tell me someone's done that before.

Bri (04:46):
Asked. Yeah. Yikes. So what are the stages of seeing results? When can you expect to see your final results?

Dr. Chao (04:57):
So that's the thing about rhinoplasty is it is a bit of a long-term game. The final results take about six to 12 months, and that's mostly for the tip and the swelling involved in the tip. The bridge settles really quickly as soon as the cast comes off oftentimes people see that hump taken down and that's exciting. But the tip, especially if you have thicker skin, can just take a while to refine. So patience is key, but it is worth it.

Bri (05:23):
So what are some things that patients have told you about how they feel after getting a rhinoplasty?

Dr. Chao (05:29):
Rhinoplasty can be really life-changing. People have told me I finally love taking photos or I'm feeling more confident meeting new people, or my favorite is I just feel like the best version of myself. So yeah, I think people like that. I did have one patient, this was when I was working at a veteran's hospital who had some history of abuse and stuff like that in her past as an adolescent. She was an adult and she was saying her nose had been broken as a result of that abuse, and it was a little bit deformed. And so for her it was super emotional. It was like, oh my gosh, seeing my straight nose every time I looked in the mirror, I was reminded of that past. So that was a really heartfelt one too, but

Bri (06:16):
So rewarding.

Dr. Chao (06:17):
Yeah. Yeah.

Bri (06:19):
So what other tips and tricks do you have that you would recommend for people healing from rhinoplasty or thinking about getting a rhinoplasty?

Dr. Chao (06:29):
Well, I did learn recently about these little reader glasses that you can set on the cast, so that's cool. You can't really wear glasses for the first week. I feel like my patients told me that there are all these Facebook groups and forums and support groups and stuff, and I feel like I'm honestly learning some tips and tricks. My patients told me about that from those groups. So yeah, there are having a little recovery station where you have all of your stuff that you're going to need. Maybe you have your nasal spray and all your meds pre set up and all your shows already downloaded, just preparing for that recovery period. But yeah, just getting through that.

Bri (07:18):
Yeah, we love it.

Dr. Chao (07:19):
If you're listening today and have questions, need info about scheduling, financing, reviews, or photos, check the show notes for links. Scrubbing in.

Bri (07:29):
And scrubbing out. Snoo.

Dr. Chao (07:33):
Gotta add it in.

Bri (07:37):
We did it.

Dr. G (07:39):
If you're listening today and have questions, need info about scheduling, financing, reviews, or photos, check out the show notes for links. Restore SD Plastic Surgery is located in La Jolla, California. To learn more about us go to restoresdplasticsurgery.com or follow us on Instagram @restoreSDplasticsurgery. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it and subscribe to All the B's on YouTube, apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts.