Question:
My nose job was about a month ago and there is some improvement except the swelling is so extreme that the tip seems twice the size it did before surgery. It actually seems to have gotten worse since the cast was removed. Will the swelling go down and when?
Answer:
After about a month there could still be some significant swelling in the nose, however if it is very extreme at this point you should have the surgeon take a look at it and make sure there is nothing else going on besides routine healing. Sometimes after a splint or cast is removed there will tend to be an increase in swelling because the cast previously had occluded and put pressure on the nose, preventing swelling in certain areas. When the cast is removed and you get some swelling in that area, it then seems as though the nose has suddenly gotten bigger again. This is pretty typical and it should clear up within four to five days of the cast being removed.
Posted by Richard Galitz, MD, FACS