Dr. Serhan Derin, born in 1982, is a seasoned ENT specialist who graduated from Ankara University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Kocaeli University in 2010. Dr. Derin is a highly skilled surgeon specializing in functional and cosmetic nose surgeries, including Primary Rhinoplasty, Revision Rhinoplasty, Ethnic Rhinoplasty, Septoplasty, Septorhinoplasty, Nasal Valve Surgery, and Sinus Surgery.
Simply put, rhinoplasty is the reshaping of the nose. The delicate inner structure, skin, nasal bones, and cartilage are all manipulated during rhinoplasty surgery. Since recovering from rhinoplasty can be a long journey, you would like to be informed on what to know before rhinoplasty in detail, to be prepared in advance for a smooth and comfortable recovery process.
For example, they say surgery is not painful, only a minor discomfort you will feel after the operation. However, you know that your friend used painkillers after nose job surgery, so what is the deal? What to know before rhinoplasty you wish you knew? Besides, there are so many other tips you might use during your recovery period that are usually not mentioned. Here, we revealed those secrets to you.
Secrets revealed: 19 things nobody tells you about nose jobs
There are millions of websites on the internet talking about nose surgery, how will they perform the surgery, which changes are possible with rhinoplasty, how long it will take your surgery till you are completely healed, etc.
The information they give you may be correct, yet far beyond being complete. Even when you ask for the specific details for these you might still be missing some points. We will give you the whole answer about what to know before rhinoplasty, from the patient’s perspective.
We would also appreciate it if you care to share your own experience in the comment sections to spread the word.
What we have to tell you could be surprisingly helpful in terms of finding better prices or predicting your recovery process. Besides, you will find one of the main reasons for unwanted results and the secret behind the ideal candidates. Let’s see what to know before rhinoplasty.
The things they don't tell you about nose jobs:
In some cases, swelling may persist for up to a year or more!
Keep reading to find out what to know before rhinoplasty.
It is okay to call any nose-related operation a nose job, but…
Some of the words in nose job surgery literature might be confusing. In the simplest way, you should know that there are mainly two different types of surgery, one of them is for aesthetic purposes, and the other one fixes your breathing issues like nasal obstruction. These are called rhinoplasty (cosmetic surgery), and septoplasty (functional surgery).
Sometimes a combination of these surgeries is performed as septorhinoplasty. An experienced surgeon can easily tell if you need either one of them or a combination of these surgical procedures, so you do not need to worry about what surgery you need.
Looking for previous patient results is key, but…
Everyone looks at and asks for previous patient results from their surgeons and you should do that, but here is the thing. You should look for a patient with similar physical characteristics or patients who underwent the same surgical technique as you will take.
For example, you might want to check the results of a piezo rhinoplasty patient to see if that technique is actually worth asking for.
The cost is usually all-inclusive, but…
The cost of the operation and the other fees might surprise you in some cases, as the operation might involve the participation of different organs. Some clinics have a system where you pay the hospitalization fees, surgery fees, and even anesthesia fees separately. Take a close look at what you are covering during the consultation.
Rhinoplasty has a high success rate, but…
Only if you chose a surgeon with years of experience and board certification should you expect higher success rates. You should definitely make sure to get the surgery from one of these surgeons; board-certified plastic surgeons, ENT specialists, or maxillofacial surgeons, or the outcomes might dissatisfy you.
3D imaging is a good tool for preshow, but…
Even though computer imaging is utilized before the surgery, this does not give you the full results you asked for (1). Computer imaging only gives the idea of what can be achieved and yes it is really helpful for understanding the capacity of the surgery, but cannot demonstrate the exact surgery results.
Generally, surgical techniques are not optional, but…
The open approach is the typical technique used for performing rhinoplasty surgery, leaving visible scars that heal nicely and come in handy for surgeons.
The closed approach is another option that patients like more, which leaves no visible scars but is a rather challenging technique for surgeons.
You can ask your surgeon which one is suitable for your needs and might opt for a less scarring option if possible. For those who do not want to deal with the big operation, anesthesia, and invasive techniques one more choice you have, is nonsurgical rhinoplasty.
The surgery is not painful, but…
The surgery itself is not painful at all, you will be under anesthesia effect during the operation. However, right after the surgery you might feel discomfort or for some people, tolerable pain is expected. Fortunately, it is easily subsided with pain medications.
You might want to see the results immediately, but…
You will be able to see a difference in your nose after the surgery, but what they do not tell you is that it takes at least a week before you see your nose shape. The first week you will have a cast on your nose, and even after the cast is removed, seeing the full surgery results will take a year with a progressive improvement.
The swelling is manageable after the operation, but…
The swelling is normal after rhinoplasty surgery and is actually disturbing. You will not regret the day you decided to take the surgery, but the swelling will make you feel uncomfortable for weeks. It’s going to take some time till you can see all the swelling is gone.
You will probably have no problem sleeping, but…
Finding your pillowcase a bit dirty with blood should not scare you in the morning. It is possible and there is nothing to fear about this as bleeding is a part of the surgery as long as it is not excessive. Try sleeping on one side and put an exposable towel on that side to not to worry about your pillowcase.
Make-up is okay after a few weeks, but…
We do care about your social media account too, but you should go easy on your nose while doing make-up and wait until your surgeon allows it. And yes, when we say go easy on your nose, that includes not using your beauty blender too, for a few weeks, if you do not want your nose to get hurt.
For not too long you will be away from work, but…
Of course, there will be a recovery period but it does not take more than 2-3 weeks until you get back to your work. The less time it takes if fewer changes were made to your nose.
However, there are some other factors that can prolong the healing process, like your medical history, the body’s wound healing speed, facial features, and skin type. While making a schedule after rhinoplasty, you might want to keep this in mind.
You need to take 2-3 weeks off, but…
Most of the side effects of the surgery take no longer than 3 weeks, but it does not mean your nose is fully healed. You still need to take care of your nose since there will be healing tissues. Stiffness, dryness, and bleeding might take longer to be gone completely. Using a saline nasal spray is common at this time. Generally after 2 months after surgery, these side effects subside too.
Using a cotton swab is common to clean your nose after rhinoplasty, but…
Most people use cotton swabs and even make videos talking about how useful they are after a rhinoplasty operation. If you listen to them carefully they only offer to use cotton swabs around the nostrils to clean the blood and that is all. Just to make sure, ask your surgeon if you can use them and how.
Some patients don’t mind lighting a cigarette after the surgery, but…
Smoking is a serious no-no after nose surgery as it can prolong the recovery period, might distort the way your nose looks, and even result in life concerning issues. We cannot say for sure if lighting a cigarette or two will definitely affect your surgery results, but it is not worth the risk.
Doing exercises are healthy, but…
Performing strenuous activities like lifting weights will increase blood pressure, your heart will make an extra effort than normally it should in a resting position. When the blood pressure increases, that means the vessels in your nose will get bumped with blood, which you should avoid during your recovery time.
You can always ask for a revision surgery, but…
The surgery has a quite high success rate, but the results might not satisfy you or you might have a complication during your recovery. In that case, revision rhinoplasty is performed, but you have to wait till your nose is healed nicely. Generally, it takes between 6 months to a year before you can get another surgery on your nose (2).
Almost anyone is an ideal candidate for rhinoplasty, but…
You should have heard this “ideal candidates come with realistic expectations” a million times. What is so popular about this belief?
The truth is not everyone is suitable for rhinoplasty surgery. Some people ask for unachievable changes and might be disappointed to hear “No, this might compromise your nose structure.”
An ideal candidate would accept the fact that surgeons always offer such options that are sustainable and will make one feel comfortable while breathing.
Avoiding cookie-cutter-approach is a must, but…
One of the most important matters you should know if you are asking “what to know before rhinoplasty” is the cookie-cutter approach.
A grain in the sand is all we are, and surgeons try to find the most suitable nose shape for every individual separately, not the perfect nose. With the combination of common techniques and unique approaches, every person gets a suitable nose shape. Using these common techniques and avoiding a cookie-cutter approach is a hard task.
To avoid that, not just your nose shape but the other elements of your face are also important while understanding what changes are suitable for your nose. Doctors evaluate the chin position, the cheeks, eye symmetry, the nose position in your face, and many others like your height and skin type.
That is to say, we can call a rhinoplasty surgeon a nose-shaping artist making his magic work by evaluating so many different factors to find an ideal balanced nose shape for the one.
Recently, a TikToker explained some things she wished she had known before undergoing rhinoplasty surgery. If you share the same concerns, we hope that this article has provided you with a satisfactory answer to the question of what to know before rhinoplasty.
References:
(1) Persing S, Timberlake A, Madari S, Steinbacher D. Three-Dimensional Imaging in Rhinoplasty: A Comparison of the Simulated versus Actual Result. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2018;42(5):1331-1335. doi:10.1007/s00266-018-1151-9
(2) G HV, G V, F T, T T. The ideal timing for revision surgery following an infected cranioplasty. Ideální načasování revizní operace po infikované kranioplastice. Acta Chir Plast. 2023;64(3-4):135-138. doi:10.48095/ccachp2022135
