How to Reduce Bruising After Rhinoplasty

How to Reduce Bruising after your Rhinoplasty

If you’ve just gone under a rhinoplasty procedure and you are seeing a lot of bruises on different areas of your face, then there is no need to fret! Bruising—along with swelling—is something that can be normally expected after a rhinoplasty surgery. For most patients, the bruises are most visible under the eyes, near the cheekbones and around the nose area. Bruising typically lasts for a couple of weeks after the surgery. In more extreme cases, the bruises can take an entire month or even more before they start to heal. If you are freaking out because you look like you’ve just been thrown out of a window each time you look into the mirror, then you should keep in mind that your bruises will eventually disappear. In the meantime, there are some things you can do to reduce them.

Apply ice or a cold compress to your face for two days after the surgery:  One of the most important things that you can do to reduce bruising and swelling after rhinoplasty is to religiously apply a cold compress or ice pack to affected areas every 20 to 30 minutes. You must do this religiously for at least two days after the surgery. The cold will help minimize the bruises and will also keep the swelling under control. As someone who has already gone through rhinoplasty twice, I know that icing your face every few minutes can get monotonous after a while. This is why you’ll want to make sure that you have something to keep you occupied while icing, such as watching TV or reading a good book.

Know what to avoid before and after the surgery: Just as there are things that can help you reduce bruising after rhinoplasty, there are also certain things that you should avoid. For instance, alcohol must be avoided before and after rhinoplasty surgery. There should be no alcohol consumption for at least two days before your operation and at least two weeks afterward. It’s also important that you ask your doctor about the list of medications to avoid. These medications will likely include ibuprofen and paracetamol drugs.

Drink plenty of pineapple juice.:  Many rhinoplasty surgeons prescribe bromelain supplements to their patients to lessen the bruising after surgery. Bromelain is an enzyme that has shown to be effective in minimizing swelling, inflammation and muscle pain. However, why take the supplements when you can consume bromelain right from its natural source: pineapples? Pineapple’s stem and fruit are rich in bromelain, which is why you should stock up on some after your surgery. You can take a glass of fresh pineapple juice in the morning and snack on pineapple slices throughout the day. You might also want to take other supplements that can help with the bruising, such as vitamin K and arnica.

Healing gel pads:  Bruising was definitely one of my worst side effects after I went under my revision rhinoplasty procedure. I had a particularly bad bruise under my right eye, making me look like I had someone punch my lights out! My fabulous rhinoplasty surgeon, Dr. Anil Shah, prescribed some healing gel pads in order to help with the bruising. The gel pads he gave me have been scientifically proven to cut bruising recovery time by half so that my bruises can heal twice as fast. So if your post-surgery bruises are pretty bad (like mine were) then ask your surgeon about these gel pads.