When people think of the healing process of rhinoplasty surgery, they often think of two things: (1) Bruised Eyes and (2) Pain

Both have very common misconceptions.

Not everyone gets bruised after a rhinoplasty. If you have a bump or your surgeon needs to cut the bone of your nose, then there is a good chance you will have bruising. However, if your surgeon does not need to alter the bone, you may have very limited and mild bruising after your rhinoplasty.

Pain is also often misunderstood. The majority of my rhinoplasty patients here at my Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Ottawa are very concerned about pain after a rhinoplasty. I often tell people that 9/10 patients tell me all they needed was Tylenol after the second day of healing. Most describe the pain as mild. Usually, the first night and the next day after surgery, people take some opioid pain medication (Tramacet/Morphine/etc). Still, after that, most patients take some over-the-counter Tylenol.

Pain is not something patients typically complain about. What people do complain about is that it can be ‘uncomfortable.’ You may think that means pain, but it doesnt. Most patients tell me that the cast's congestion and tightness cause most of their discomfort during the first week. It's tolerable but uncomfortable. It can be itchy, hard to clean and just gets in the way. Also, as i mentioned, your breathing is blocked and its hard to blow your nose. It feels like you have a bad cold. Together, rhinoplasty surgery is more “Uncomfortable” than it is painful.

At my clinic here in Ottawa, when we see each other before surgery, I spend time with you discussing how to reduce the pain and how to treat the congestion best. Even with this, about 90% of my patients tell me that the whole experience “was better than they expected.”