Swelling and unactualized results may make your nose seem too big, too short, look the same as it did before, look fat, or feel weird after rhinoplasty. This can lead to post-rhinoplasty depression – but if you let yourself heal, you will find you have options to improve your results.
Every operation, no matter how minor, is accompanied by swelling of the surrounding tissues. The amount of swelling varies from person to person. Because of the looseness of facial tissue, the swelling is more pronounced in this area, and your facial features may appear distorted.
Rhinoplasty might change the shape, size, appearance, projection or a combination of these elements depending on the needs of the patient. The lips, chin, cheeks and other facial features remain intact unless you undergo other procedures.
Every patient is different, so recovery times vary, but generally speaking, most patients can expect to look “normal” after about three to four weeks, with a small amount of residual swelling and tenderness lasting about three months — though it is usually only noticeable to the patient themselves.
Some patients are surprised to find that following a rhinoplasty their smile seems different. Luckily, this is temporary and your smile should return back to normal as swelling subsides.
Bruising under your eyes should be expected with every rhinoplasty. When the nasal bones are narrowed there is almost always a little bleeding underneath the skin. Dark circles under the eyes usually don't appear for at least 24 hours and typically peak within the first 2 days after surgery.
If work was done at the base of your nose or at the bottom of the columella (skin bridge between the nostrils), swelling in the area can affect the lip and cause it to drop a bit temporarily. As the swollen columella heals, which can take a few months, the lip will return to a normal position.
Your surgeon may have removed an excessive amount of tissue from your nose tip in an attempt to raise your entire nose. The resulting image is a “pig snout.” You may experience this temporarily as a result of post-surgery swelling. It usually disappears after a few weeks.
One potential cause for bulbous appearance of the nose is the development of scar tissue at the nasal tip. This does not occur right away, but rather may develop over time. Sometimes injection of steroid may be of benefit. You may wish to consider consulting with your original surgeon.
The surgery will chance the shape, projection, appearance, size, or some combination of these elements to achieve the desired result. Your eyes, lips, cheeks, and chin will all remain structurally the same.
For most people, an interaction with the nose will lead to movement of the upper lip. When it comes to surgery, a nose job or rhinoplasty can affect the look and projection of the upper lip – permanently. It is something that needs to be take into account prior to surgery and an experienced surgeon will factor it in.
The nose is made almost entirely of cartilages rather than bone. As such, even though you won't notice significant changes after the rhinoplasty, you might see small and barely-perceptible changes over extended periods, like years and decades, due to cartilage changes.
In these two types of noses, it may be induced that the shape of the eyes has changed, but the reality is that nose surgery does not affect the actual distance between the two eyes and the actual distance between the eyeball bones or the orbital bone..
It can feel quite difficult immediately after rhinoplasty as the nasal swelling does affect the appearance of the nose, but don't worry immediately! The initial result is rarely a reflection of what can be expected in 6-12 months!
Four to six weeks after rhinoplasty, we observe occasional dropping of the nasal tip due to several causes [5]. Such causes may include scar contractures, weight of the nose, and the action of the depressor septi nasi muscle [5].
You may have some itching or shooting pain as the feeling returns. If bones were broken during your surgery, you will need to avoid injury to your nose for about 3 months. In 3 to 4 weeks, you should have a good idea as to what your nose will look like. It can take up to a year to see the final result.
While swelling at the tip following a rhinoplasty can take up to a year to go away completely, 90 percent of the swelling is usually gone in about four to eight weeks. It's not uncommon for a crooked looking nose to straighten out as the swelling slowly resolves.
If you notice that your nose tip continues to slide down even though the edema and swelling have decreased, you may need revision rhinoplasty surgery. Remember that as long as it's operating by an experienced surgeon, "nose tip drop" is uncommon.
Bulbous Tip Treatment Options
Treating the bulbous nasal tip with rhinoplasty involves refining and reconfiguring small cartilage edges, along with suturing techniques to create a sharper yet natural nasal tip. For thicker skinned patients, thinning of the nasal tip skin may be necessary.
Generally, swelling is the most common reason why your nose looks bigger after rhinoplasty, which is completely normal. As a general rule, half of the swelling in the nasal tip will be gone after a month, but it will take at least a year for the tip to reach its final shape.
It is normal to have edema (swelling) of the nose after rhinoplasty. This can last for up to several months.
A nose upturned after rhinoplasty is mostly due to swelling and should resolve as the nose continues to heal. Keeping the head elevated and limiting activities should help resolve the issue. If the nose is still upturned after a full year, you may need to revisit your surgeon for an assessment.
After a rhinoplasty procedure, don't be surprised if your smile is temporarily affected by post-operative swelling. The effect is temporary and your smile will return to normal after the initial swelling has dissipated. This may take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.
Warning signs include a fever or more bleeding, drainage from the nose or the incisions, or more pain, swelling or bruising than expected. Call your doctor or seek medical attention if you experience these problems.
Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a phenomenon that some people experience after nasal surgery. It can cause breathing difficulties, headaches, nosebleeds and nasal dryness.