During the rhinoplasty recovery timeline, particularly the early stages, you need to treat your new nose with plenty of care. Many people wonder exactly what they can and can’t do when it comes to cleaning their nose, and doing their regular skin-care routine. This blog addresses all your post-rhinoplasty cleaning questions.
Rhinoplasty recovery timeline
If you’ve seen any rhinoplasty recovery photos, you probably understand it isn’t a process that happens all at once. Rhinoplasty recovery begins as soon as the process itself is over. You’ll need to spend a few hours resting at the clinic before going home.
After that, there’s about a week of wearing a plastic splint and possibly stitches. During this first week, and for perhaps a week after, swelling and bruising are not uncommon. Beyond this point begins the slow process of your rhinoplasty procedure settling into its final shape.
Why cleaning after rhinoplasty is essential
The best rhinoplasty surgeons in Toronto will always stress the importance of nose care after the rhinoplasty. Even after your cosmetic surgeon has finished the procedure, your nose is still changing subtly over the rhinoplasty recovery timeline. Taking care of your nose will ensure you get the best final results.
Cleaning your nose will also simply make the rhinoplasty recovery timeline a more pleasant experience. Often, after a rhinoplasty, you have to deal with blocked-up nose, inflammation, clotted blood, and bad breath from breathing through your mouth. It just takes a little bit of cleaning and care to deal with these issues.
How to safely clean your nose after a rhinoplasty
So, in summation, yes, you can clean your nose after a rhinoplasty. It’s also a good idea to keep your nose relatively clean to make the recovery process more comfortable. However, cleaning your nose also risks interfering with the healing process if not done carefully.
The first week
The first week after rhinoplasty is when you need to be the most careful. As long as you still have the splint and gauze in your nose, don’t disturb them. It’s essential you leave them in as long as your facial plastic surgeon recommends. Even after they’re removed, it’s best to approach the first week carefully.
Blowing your nose isn’t recommended during this period. You shouldn’t insert any foreign object into your nose. For chronic nose pickers, yes, that includes fingers! If you have to cough or sneeze, make sure to do it through your mouth. You can gently clean your nose with wet wipes, but be careful not to exert too much pressure.
After the first week
After the first week of the rhinoplasty recovery timeline, you can start to be a bit more thorough in your cleaning. You can replace the wet wipes with a towel soaked in warm water to start washing your nose. You can also start to rinse out the nose with a mild saline solution. You can also put the saline solution on a cotton swab to carefully scrub the inside of your nose.
After about a month to six weeks, your nose should be able to handle your regular cleaning routine. This doesn’t mean the rhinoplasty recovery timeline is over, however. The shape of your rhinoplasty will change over the months as your nose settles into its new shape.
If you’re curious about what rhinoplasty could do for your nose, Dr. Richard Rival can help you find out with our cosmetic surgery computer imaging. We’ve helped many find the best rhinoplasties in Toronto. If you have any questions about how to get yours, make sure to contact us today!