With any type of surgical procedure, whether cosmetic or medical, there are always risks involved. It’s the same with rhinoplasty; a certain level of risk is involved and complications—although rare—may occur. It’s important to have a thorough discussion about rhinoplasty, from rhinoplasty recovery to complications, with your facial plastic surgeon to ensure you fully understand the procedure itself as well as the risks involved. It will benefit you to undergo treatment armed with as much information about it as possible.

Rhinoplasty recovery complications

Usually, complications from any type of surgical procedure arise or begin to manifest during the recovery process. Patients who have undergone a rhinoplasty procedure should be vigilant during the rhinoplasty recovery process to catch complications (if any) early on, so they can receive the appropriate medical treatment, if and when it is needed.

What complications or symptoms should you watch out for? For your reference, here are a few complications that could arise from a rhinoplasty procedure:

• Bleeding – This may be caused by blood thinning agents (like aspirin) that the patient may have taken before surgery. As a general rule, patients undergoing surgery are advised not to take any blood thinning medication to reduce the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.
• Allergies – Following surgery, allergy symptoms like hives or rashes, difficulty breathing, and such are usually caused by an allergic reaction to anesthesia. Contact your surgeon right away if you experience allergy symptoms, especially difficulty breathing.
• Nasal deformity – If the patient notices deformities on the nose months after surgery, it may be caused by the natural changes in nasal structures, which became noticeable once the nose has completely healed. Sometimes, nasal deformities could develop during the rhinoplasty recovery process because the nose didn’t heal properly.
• Red spots – Sometimes during surgery or the healing and recovery process, tiny blood vessels could burst, which causes red spots to appear on the surface of the nose. Although these are hardly noticeable and not a health or safety concern, they are permanent.
• Deviated septum – Most of the time, patients undergo rhinoplasty because of a deviated septum caused by trauma to the nose. But there are also times when a deviated septum may develop because of a prior rhinoplasty procedure. The surgeon may have taken too much cartilage or tendon out causing the septum to lean or collapse. A second surgery will be required to correct this complication.

If you experience any of these symptoms during the healing and rhinoplasty recovery process, it would be best to contact your surgeon immediately for your safety and peace of mind.

Patients are also reminded to follow their surgeon’s instructions regarding rhinoplasty recovery to reduce the risk of complications, and to ensure that the nose is healing properly. Your doctor will discuss with you all these and other important details before your surgery.

It would be advisable to have someone with you during consultation, so there are at least two of you who will know what to do before, during, and after surgery. It would be best to take the same person who will be taking care of you after your surgery. You will need someone to look after you for a few days after surgery because you may still be groggy and disoriented from the anesthesia.

Consult a licensed and experienced rhinoplasty surgeon

Do you have more questions regarding rhinoplasty complications, or the healing and rhinoplasty recovery process? If you have concerns about the appearance of your nose or issues with its functions, please feel free to call Capital Facial Plastic Surgery at (240) 630-8175 to schedule a consultation with licensed and experienced rhinoplasty surgeon Dr. Adam E. Singleton, MD. Capital Facial Plastic Surgery serves the residents of Chevy Chase, MD, and Washington, D.C.