Rhinoplasty is a serious procedure that requires a lot of recovery time for the patient. The results of the rhinoplasty procedure make many feel so much more confident about their appearance, that the uncomfortable recovery is definitely more than worth the trouble. Your surgeon will go over the details of recovery, like how long you should expect before the casts can be removed and when the swelling to go down, but we wanted to give you some tips on how to go through recovery in as much comfort as possible.
One thing is for sure, after you get your rhinoplasty procedure, you will not want to bother with purchasing any food, supplies or other recovery items. So make sure to get these items well before the rhinoplasty procedure. That way when it is time to recover, you can spend time resting instead of shopping. Without further ado here are some items that will make rhinoplasty recovery infinitely easier on you.
1. The Clothes
One of the most important items of clothes you’ll need available after your rhinoplasty procedure is a button down shirt. It is a good idea to have at least five days worth of button-down pajamas tops and button down regular tops available at your disposal. Button-down tops make it so you do not have to pull a shirt over your nose or face when you are still recovering. Also, in case of bleeding within the first couple of days you may want to wear shirts you wouldn’t mind staining if blood accidentally drips on the shirt. It is advisable to have plenty of clean laundry ready after your rhinoplasty procedure, because you probably won’t have the energy to do loads of laundry during your recovery.
2. The Hair
If you have long hair, you are going to want to have plenty of comfortable rubber bands, scrunchies, headbands and clips. When your face is still swollen and you have the cast on, you won’t want to deal with stray hairs falling on your face. Also, little hairs on the face can tickle the face, so you’ll want to scratch it. With the bruising from the rhinoplasty procedure, you’ll want to avoid scratching as much as possible to avoid extra pain and discomfort. To avoid stray hairs getting on your face make sure when you put your hair up, to pull it back as tight as possible using headbands, bobby bins or whatever else your hair may need to stay out of the way.
3. The Bed Setup
You are going to be spending a lot of time resting in bed, especially after the first couple days of surgery. The rhinoplasty procedure really does drain the body of energy, and when that tiredness is combined with pain-meds the motivation to get out of bed will be low. To make the experience more comfortable, I recommend getting a bed wedge pillow. This type of pillow will elevate your head, but it will also help make sure your nose doesn’t come in contact with the pillows. It also encourages you not to sleep on your side, if that the normal position you sleep in at night.
4. Relaxation Station
This can be your bed or another part of the house, but a quiet place to keep yourself entertained may be a good idea. Have plenty of water, snacks, movies, books, magazines and whatever you’ll need to make yourself comfortable. If you live with other people, it may be a good idea to put the relaxation station off-limits until you are ready to interact with other people on a regular basis again.
5. The Food and Water
Due to the swelling, it can be hard to eat any non-liquid foods, especially the first couple days after the procedure. Make sure to have plenty of protein shakes, ice cream or any other liquids that are appealing to your diet. Perhaps pre-prep a couple of liquid snacks before the procedure, so they’ll be all read after the rhinoplasty procedure. Or perhaps if you live with a partner, ask them to make to make meals for you the first couple days after the procedure.
The other major thing you’ll need is a lot of water. Due to the fact after the rhinoplasty surgery, you can only breathe through your mouth it is very easy to get dried out. Make sure to drink lots and lots of water to keep hydrated and to help the healing process.
6. Ice
It will be important to specifically following the icing instructions that your doctor will give you. The ice pack they give you isn’t as good as a bag of peas, blueberries or corn though. The granulated nature of these frozen foods makes it easy to mold around the bruised area. This way you don’t have to struggle to mold an ice back to your face.