Rhinoplasty is done under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Splints and gauze packing may support the nose for a few days.[1][2]
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Recovery and risks
ASPS describes rhinoplasty results as long-lasting, with the contour refining for up to a year. Across 30 preservation studies, Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation scores rose from 62.13 before surgery to 91.14 after. After f
Recovery
Rhinoplasty is done under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Splints and gauze packing may support the nose for a few days.[1][2]
Swelling and bruising around the eyes are measured over the first 7 days. Piezoelectric osteotomies reduced them compared with blind chisel osteotomies.[1][2]
Initial swelling subsides within a few weeks. In a randomized trial, taping the nose for 2 or 4 weeks after the external packing came off reduced swelling in thick-skinned patients.[1][2]
In 35 patients, soft tissue at the nasion was thickest at 3 months and thinnest at 10 months. Swelling at the rhinion lasted longer in thick skin.[1]
The contour can take up to a year to refine. Swelling may come and go and is worse in the morning. After revision, swelling resolved more slowly than after a first operation.[1][2]
Results are long-lasting. The face, including the nose, changes gradually with age, and sun protection helps extend results.[1]
Risks
In 4,978 rhinoplasties in a prospective insurance database, 0.7% had a complication needing an emergency visit, admission or reoperation within 30 days. Hematoma and infection were each 0.2%. Risk rose from 0.58% for rhinoplasty alone to 2.09% with two other body areas, and age 40 or older doubled it.[1]
Revision rates are reported at 5% to 15%. In 369 cosmetic rhinoplasties at one practice, complications were 7.9%, dissatisfaction 15.4% and revision 9.8%. Prior nasal surgery or facial fracture predicted revision.[1][2]
Difficulty breathing is a listed risk. Hump reduction done incorrectly can cause dorsal irregularities, the inverted-V deformity and a narrowed middle vault that affects the internal nasal valve.[1][2]
A hole in the septum is rare. Further surgery may be needed and the hole may not be correctable.[1]
With rib cartilage, pooled complications were 9.06% at the nose and 1.47% at the chest. Warping (3.05%) was the most common, and pneumothorax was 0%.[1]
After preservation rhinoplasty, hump recurrence was 1.3% after push-down and 4.6% after let-down. Radix step-off, supratip saddling and middle vault widening are reported.[1][2]
Filler in the nose can block an artery. Of 365 vision loss cases after filler, 40.6% followed nose injection, and 68.2% of cases with outcomes had no recovery.[1]
A meta-analysis of 18 studies and 2,132 candidates found body dysmorphic disorder in a pooled 32.7%.[1]
How long results last
ASPS describes rhinoplasty results as long-lasting, with the contour refining for up to a year. Across 30 preservation studies, Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation scores rose from 62.13 before surgery to 91.14 after. After functional septorhinoplasty, obstruction scores stayed improved through at least 24 months in 567 patients. Surgeons judged the anatomy corrected in 87% of 369 cosmetic rhinoplasties.[1][2][3]