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About Face

Chapter Eight The Nose The Psychology of Rhinoplasty Patients Expectations Initial Surgery Making the Nose Smaller Saddle Nose Columella Deformity Revisional Treatment Recovery

In the unfortunate event that a nosebleed does develop, fill a plastic bag with ice chips and rest it gently on the bridge of your nose for fifteen minutes. If this doesn’t stop it, go straight to your doctor, or the hospital.

If the rhinoplasty you’ve had done involved surgery at the base of the nose, below the nostrils, your upper lip will be stiff after the operation. This will give you a rather strange smile. Again, this is due to swelling and you’ll get your normal smile back in about two weeks. In the meantime, avoid pursing your lips or kissing for the first week, and if you must wear lipstick, put it on gently with a brush. Be extremely careful not to hurt the tissues of the upper lip if you decide to brush your teeth. If brushing is at all painful, stop.

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, people who wear eyeglasses are at a disadvantage after rhinoplasty. Glasses should not be worn for four weeks after an operation because there is a good chance they might affect, or distort, the nasal bones as they heal. Tape the lenses to your forehead if you must have them to see. Patients who wear contact lenses are luckier - they can usually be worn within tow days after surgery.

As for personal grooming, try to rough it for a couple of days. You can, very gently, wash your face, but you should not wash your hair until the cast is removed - usually within a week. You should also avoid hot water and hair dryers for a full two weeks following surgery as the heat might aggravate the swelling. (If the situation is desperate, use a dry shampoo.) Don’t pluck your eyebrows for two weeks following surgery and expect to suffer oily skin on your nose and mid-face area for a month after the operation. After the cast is off, you can begin to use light astringents or glycolic acid creams or lotions on your face to prevent infection from pimples.

Treat your nose with enormous respect for two weeks following surgery - don’t even try to slip a T-shirt or a sweater over your head unless the neck hole is wide enough to ensure that you won’t bump your nose while dressing or undressing. It will take four weeks before your nose can withstand even moderate stress or trauma. If you take a hard blow to the nose during this time, report it immediately to your surgeon. If you like sports where the chances of getting hit on the nose are high, like basketball or high diving, quell your passion for a full four months.

If this advice for conduct during the healing process after rhinoplasty seems unduly restrictive, the reason may now be clear. Primary rhinoplasty is the most complex of all aesthetic surgical procedures; revisional rhinoplasty on a botched or improperly healed nose operation multiplies the complexity. And you might have to wait one or more years for the primary surgery to fully heal.

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