POST-SURGERY REHABILITATION

During the rehabilitation period you will be helped by a calm environment, support and understanding of close people. The formation of a neat postsurgery scar largely depends on you and compliance with all my recommendations.

• If you feel sleepy immediately after surgery, try to lie exclusively on your back and immobilize your head on both sides with pillows.
• In the first hours after surgery, there may be slight discomfort due to the presence of special silicone splints in the nose. Regardless of the sensation, it is strictly forbidden to remove the splints from the nose or displace the fixation bandage. Special channels inside the splints allow you to breathe through the nose immediately after the correction, but in the first couple of weeks breathing will be slightly difficult. Full recovery of the breathing process usually occurs two weeks after surgery.
• The first day after plasty it is necessary to stay in the hospital clinic under the supervision of medical staff. This is required to exclude the risks of possible complications and negative reactions of the body. If after 24 hours you feel well and have no complaints, you can return home to normal life, but with postoperative restrictions.
• On the 3-4 day after discharge you should come for a checkup and further recommendations. Sutures at the skin incision sites are removed after seven days. On day 7-8, the fixation dressing is removed and the splints are removed. In case of sharp pains, you should contact me immediately.
• In the first few days, swelling develops in the nose area, bruising under the eyes, pain and discomfort may also occur. These are normal post-surgery phenomena and will go away on their own. Visible swelling will go away in 7-10 days after surgery. Invisible swelling may persist from 2 months to 1.5 years. Surroundings such swelling is not visible — a month after surgery, the nose acquires a beautiful shape and flat back. Over the course of a year, its size gradually decreases, after which the nose acquires its final shape. The final result is summarized 1 year after the surgery.
• Follow-up treatment depends on the surgery. If the bony skeleton of the nose has changed, you will need to wear a post-surgery fixator during the first week of recovery. It acts as a protective covering and helps the nose to take on its new shape.
• If the bones of the nose were manipulated during surgery, there is likely to be bruising around the eyes, which will then move to the cheek area. Swelling and bruising is a normal consequence of surgery and will subside within 2-3 weeks. Anti-inflammatory and anti-edema ointments will help.

To ensure that the result of the surgery remains unchanged, it is necessary to follow the recommendations for postoperative treatment:

• Lying in bed, observe the correct position of the body: the upper part should be elevated by 30 degrees. Use two pillows. This will minimize swelling and swelling of the face.
• The day after surgery, you can gently wash and shower, avoiding getting the fixator wet.
• Nasal mucous discharge stained with blood is completely normal and will disappear within a few days after surgery.
• You can blow your nose 30 days after the surgery, until then, rinse it.
• Sneezing can be done only gently and only with your mouth open!
• Eat and brush your teeth gently.
• If possible, avoid vigorous facial expressions because the muscles involved “pull” on the new nose.
• A body temperature of up to 38 degrees after surgery is considered acceptable and normal for a few days. If, however, the temperature persists for 14 days or more, call me.
• In the first 24 hours after rhinoplasty, you may sometimes experience nausea — this is normal, don’t worry.
• For a few months after surgery, the tip of the nose and upper lip may be slightly numb and swollen, as a result, facial expressions will seem unnatural to you, and the tip of the nose — excessively asserted, this is normal.
• You can wash your hair on the third day after surgery at the earliest.
• It is important to avoid exercise stress and physical activity for the first time. Light physical activity is allowed after a month at the earliest, heavy work should be done after two months at the earliest. It is allowed to resume sports activities after a couple of months at the earliest.
• Please note that glasses should not be worn for the first 6 months after surgery. Ask about a splint to distribute the weight of the glasses, or refuse to wear them. Contact lenses can be worn immediately after surgery (soft disposable lenses can serve as an alternative to glasses until you are able to wear them again).
• Traumatization and hypothermia of the nose should be avoided.
• Avoid excessive exposure to sun and heat (sauna, bath, hot bath) for several months.
• Avoid facial massage for six months after surgery.
• It is better to resume sexual activity no sooner than a couple of weeks after surgery.
• You will return to the usual rhythm of life in about 2-3 weeks. Remember that you can objectively assess the shape of the new nose only after a year. My patients in 95% of cases do not need a second rhinoplasty, because the ideal result is achieved after the first, but if the need for a second intervention still arises, it is carried out no sooner than a year after the first surgery, when the state of the operated area is fully stabilized.
• Six months and a year after the surgery we will meet you (as you wish, in person or by video call) for a check-up to make sure that “everything is going according to plan” 🙂

POST-RHINOPLASTY DIET

• In 1.5-2 hours after coming out of anesthesia you can start drinking water at first 1-2 sips, with breaks, gradually increasing the volume of liquid.
• You should start eating according to how you feel, if there is no nausea, but not earlier than after 3-4 hours and with soft foods (liquids, clear not hot broths, etc.).
• Avoid hot and spicy foods and drinks for the first week.
• Avoid alcohol as long as possible after surgery (at least 3 months), as it impairs tissue regeneration and can provoke swelling.
• Reduce the salt content in your meals to avoid aggravating tissue swelling and fluid retention. At the same time, eat anyway and keep the portion size like as usual, as your body needs a lot of energy to recover.

PHARMACEUTICAL PRESCRIPTIONS

• Nasal rinsing — “Aqualor” spray 3 times a day for four weeks after surgery.
• Sea buckthorn oil — inject 2-3 drops 3 times a day into each nostril after rinsing for two weeks after surgery.
• Sinurin 3-4 times a day.
• Hydrogen peroxide 3%
• “Amoxiclav” — 625 mg twice a day for 5 days.
• “Nimesil”, “Dexalgin” — for pain, but no more than three doses per day.
• “Emalan Gel” or “Lyoton 1000” — apply a thin layer to bruises until they disappear completely.