People get nose jobs for different reasons, here's what happens during the surgery and what to expect afterwards in terms of recovery.
Surgeons use either local or general anesthesia for this procedure. Local anesthesia, which describes a light sedation, is an option that some people choose. In this type of procedure the nose and surrounding areas are numbed, but you are awake during the surgery. Those people who prefer not to be awake while the doctor's knife is at work choose the general anesthesia option. In this type of procedure you are asleep.
Before making an appointment for nose surgery you may want to know a bit about what actually happens during the procedure. Some surgeons do rhinoplasty from within the nose. These doctors make an incision inside the nostrils. Others use an open procedure, which entails an incision across the perpendicular strip of tissue that parts the nostrils, or the columella. The skin of the nose is then separated from the cartilage and bone, which are then restructured by the surgeon to meet the desired shape. Once the doctor is confident about the new shape the skin is pulled back over the new bone structure.
After the skin is stitched back a small splint is placed on the nose to reinforce the new shape. Nasal packs and soft plastic splints are generally handed out to patients for the nostrils in order to stabilize the septum, which is the wall between the two nostril holes. Just as all surgeries have risks, so to does rhinoplasty. Possible risks of this surgery include infection, bleeding, blood clots, and negative reactions to anesthesia.
Now that you know what nose surgery entails, here is what to expect after the procedure. During the first 24 hours after the procedure you will remain in bed. Your head must be elevated, and you will undoubtedly feel some pain and experience swelling around the nose. Bruising around the eyes is common in patients recently having a nose job as well. If you have a cold beware, as you are not supposed to blow your nose for a least four days after the surgery.
Roughly ten days after the surgery the stitches, bandages, and splints will be removed from your face. Non-physical work is an option for patients""exercise and rigorous activity is to be avoided for several weeks, however.
Those patients with glasses may find the surgery more of a challenge, as the glasses will not be able to rest on your nose for structural reasons. If you do not have contact lenses then you must tape the glasses to your forehead and wear them as such until the nose is entirely healed. The healing process generally takes seven weeks. This healing period is long as surgeries go, and it can be disheartening looking at the mirror to see bruises and swollen features. However, a patient should remember that this is a normal byproduct of the procedure, and that the long wait will be worth it for the results.
