When I sit down for a rhinoplasty consultation with many of my Houston rhinoplasty patients, one of the important aspects is to manage the expectations after surgery. After open rhinoplasty, there is significant swelling to the nose. The profile or side of the nose after rhinoplasty can be appreciated initially. The frontal view however will seem quite wide. This is where the most amount of swelling occurs. The nasal tip takes the longest for swelling to subside as this portion of the nose has the thickest skin. At 3 weeks, 10-15% of swelling should subside. At 6 weeks, 30-40% will settle. However, it may take a full year or even 1.5 years for all the swelling after rhinoplasty to subside. This is especially true for the nasal tip. Of course every nose is different and depending on the skin thickness, amount of work done, and whether you are a revision rhinoplasty will change the progression of the swelling.

Dr. Funk is a top rhinoplasty surgeon in Houston, TX.