Rhinoplasty recovery: the honest twelve-month timeline

Days 1-7: splint and swelling

Breathing through the nose is restricted for the first days. Bruising around the eyes peaks at day three and fades by day ten. The splint is removed on day six or seven, and the first look is always swollen. This is not the result.

Weeks 2-6: back to normal life

Most patients return to office work at ten days and light exercise at three weeks. Contact sport, heavy lifting and glasses resting on the bridge stay off-limits for six weeks. Numbness at the tip is normal and resolves over months.

Months 3-12: the refinement

Swelling leaves the bridge first and the tip last, which is why the tip looks bulbous for months in thicker skin. Eighty per cent of the shape is visible at three months, the definitive result at twelve to eighteen.

What to photograph and when

Take standardised photos at week 2, month 3, month 6 and month 12 in the same light. Judging the result from a week-two selfie is the single most common cause of unnecessary revision anxiety.

The Ones People Actually Ask.