Illustrative

Rhinoplasty guide

Average cost

Confirmed at consultation

Medical assessment

Consultation required

This page is informational and not medical advice. Suitability and results vary by person and require an in-person consultation.

What is it?

The bone and cartilage structure of the nose is reshaped surgically. Structural problems that make breathing difficult can be addressed in the same operation alongside the aesthetic change. Recovery varies and swelling can last several months.

Glojour Editorial

Learn before you decide

Short and sourced. It helps you prepare for a consultation and never decides for you.

Check yourself

A few taps. Your answers become questions to ask a doctor, never a verdict about you.

Tap through five steps and you get a short list of questions to take into the consultation, each with the reason it is worth asking. Your answers only choose which questions go on the list; they say nothing about whether surgery is right for you.

All the questions

Will you operate on me yourself, what is your specialty, and where can I check your registration?
What exactly will you do to my nose, and why this plan for me?
What could go wrong, how would you treat it, and how often do your patients need a second operation?
What can the operation realistically change, and what can it not?
Will you use an open or a closed approach, and why for my nose?
How will the thickness of my skin affect the result?
Will you need cartilage from elsewhere, and from where?
Is surgery the right way to change what bothers me, and what are the alternatives?
How will you check my breathing, and how could the operation change it?
Can my sinus or allergy problem be treated in the same operation, or should it come first?
How does my earlier surgery or injury change your plan and my risks?
Where will the operation happen, is that place registered or licensed, and will I stay the night?
Who will see me after the operation, and whom do I call out of hours?
Who looks after me after the operation and once I am home, whom do I call out of hours, and what written report do I take with me?
Which of my medicines, supplements or nasal sprays should I stop, and when should I stop smoking?
How does my sleep apnoea change the operation and the care around it?

Myth or fact

Seven things people believe about rhinoplasty recovery

Guess, then turn the card. Each answer comes with its source.

When the splint comes off, that is my final nose.
MythSwelling keeps settling for months. Surgeons place the final result at about a year, with the tip last. 9 10
A crooked look in the first weeks means something went wrong.
MythAs the swelling goes down, the nose may look crooked for a while; one surgeon quoted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says it evens out after a year. Persistent problems are assessed after 6 to 12 months. 4 8
Recovery is extremely painful.
MythSevere pain is not expected. If you do have severe pain, contact your surgeon as soon as possible. 4
The nose is always packed with gauze afterwards.
It dependsSome surgeons use packing, others do not, and a US guideline advises against using it routinely. 3 5
I can fly home the day after surgery.
MythUK advice is not to fly for 7 to 10 days after a facial cosmetic procedure, and some leaflets say 14 days. 2 25
My travel insurance will cover complications.
MythStandard travel insurance usually does not cover elective surgery abroad. Ask about specialist cover before you book. 26 29
A new nose will change how I feel about my appearance.
It dependsIt can help with the nose itself, but British surgeons are clear that surgery alone will not solve emotional or social problems. 6

Day by day

Move through your recovery

Each stop shows what is normal at that point, and what is worth a call to your surgeon the same day.

Night 1
The first night
- Breathing through your mouth, with a dry mouth. Water helps.
- A little blood from the nose. A small pad under the nose catches it at first.
- Getting out of bed on the same day as the operation.
1 2 3 6 12 34
Days 1 to 3
Bruising peaks
- Bruising around the eyes, at its strongest in these days, with some swelling.
- A nose that feels fully blocked, like a heavy cold.
- Some blood-tinged watery fluid from the nose.
2 3 4 7
Day 7
The splint comes off
- The external splint usually comes off around now; some surgeons keep it for up to two weeks.
- Stitches between the nostrils, after an open approach, come out at about 5 to 10 days.
- Your new shape is visible, and still swollen. It may look uneven for now; one surgeon quoted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says it evens out after a year.
1 2 3 4 6 8
Week 2
Back to your desk
- Most people return to desk work after one to two weeks. Physical work takes longer.
- Bruising fading to yellow.
- A first follow-up with the surgeon, somewhere between one and two weeks.
1 2 3 4 6 28
Weeks 3 to 6
Moving again
- In one small study, about two thirds of the swelling had gone by the end of the first month.
- Swimming is usually fine from three to four weeks.
- Strenuous exercise usually returns between four and six weeks.
1 2 3 4 6 9 34
Month 3
Settling down
- Your nose can take up to three months to settle down, and your breathing to feel clear again.
- Your final shape can take up to a year to fully refine, or 12 to 18 months according to British surgeons.
- Some numbness of the nose is expected, and it usually eases over the following months.
3 4 6 10
Month 6
The tip is still catching up
- In one small study, about 95% of the swelling had gone by six months.
- The tip is usually the last part to settle, especially after an open approach.
- Swelling may still come and go, and be worse in the morning.
8 9 10 28
Month 12
Close to final
- Surgeons place the final result at about a year, and up to 18 months for some noses.
- Scars usually fade and become paler over 12 to 18 months.
- If anything still bothers you, a revision can be discussed now. Sources advise waiting 6 to 12 months or more before one.
4 5 6 10

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