When can I go back to work after rhinoplasty?

Anyone thinking about rhinoplasty almost always wants to know the same thing: how many days will I miss work? For many years the answer was “quite a few”. Today it is very different. As Prof. Dr. Miguel Gonçalves Ferreira explains, “a lot has changed thanks to the surgical technique, the anaesthesia and the technology we use”.

In this article we explain, based on the experience of Prof. Dr. Miguel Gonçalves Ferreira and Clínica do Nariz e Face, when you can go back to work after rhinoplasty, what changes depending on the type of work and what the first few days at home are like.

• Working from home: you can usually work the day after surgery.
• In-person work, in contact with other people: allow about a week at home.
• On the day of surgery: you go home on your own feet, usually one to one and a half hours after it ends.

Three things have changed the way you recover from rhinoplasty:

• The surgical technique. In primary rhinoplasty, the clinic uses preservation techniques, which change the minimum necessary and keep the natural structures of the nose. When the bone needs reshaping, ultrasonic rhinoplasty allows it to be done with more precision and less swelling.
• The anaesthesia. The surgery is performed under general anaesthesia, but the patient wakes up well and goes home the same day.
• The technology. The clinic works with the most modern technology available on the market.

The result, in the words of Prof. Dr. Miguel Gonçalves Ferreira, is that rhinoplasty “is not a complex surgery from the point of view of morbidity”, that is, of what affects the patient in the week after surgery.

Pain: “there is practically no pain”, sums up Prof. Dr. Miguel Gonçalves Ferreira. There is some discomfort, a feeling of a heavy or congested nose, which is resolved with paracetamol. Read more in is rhinoplasty recovery painful?

Breathing: at the end of the surgery the patient is already breathing through the nose, without the traditional packing. It is one of the reasons why recovery today is “much more comfortable, much easier”.

Care: ice, head raised and nasal cleaning, as instructed at discharge. Some swelling and, sometimes, bruising in the first few days is normal.

• Computer work, from home: you can usually work the next day. Many people prefer to take that first day to rest, but it is not compulsory.
• Office work or customer-facing work: about a week. This usually coincides with the first post-operative consultation, between day 7 and day 10, when the splint is removed.
• Physical or strenuous work: talk to the surgeon. Moderate exercise usually returns after about two weeks and intense exercise after the first month.

These timeframes are the usual ones. The plan for your case is explained at the consultation, depends on what is done in the surgery and may be different in a revision rhinoplasty or a septorhinoplasty.

• If you work in person, book the surgery for the start of a week when you can stay at home.
• If you can work from home, arrange with your employer to work the first few days from home.
• Avoid in-person meetings and important events in the first week: the swelling goes down, but is still noticeable.
• If you need to fly for work, allow 8 to 15 days.

To see the recovery stage by stage, read rhinoplasty recovery week by week e how long does rhinoplasty take.

How many days off do I need after rhinoplasty?

It depends on the job. If you work from home, you can usually work the day after surgery. If your work is in person, in contact with other people, allow about a week at home.

Am I admitted to hospital after rhinoplasty?

No. As a rule you go home on your own feet, one to one and a half hours after surgery.

Will my colleagues notice I had surgery?

In the first week you wear a splint on the nose and may have some swelling. Once the splint is removed, the remaining swelling is mild and most people feel comfortable returning to work and social life.

Can I drive to work?

On the day of surgery you should not drive, because of the anaesthesia. In the following days, follow the instructions you receive at discharge.

Can I have the consultation before setting the date with work?

Yes, and it is the best approach. At the consultation you find out what is done in your case and how much time you should set aside.

At Clínica do Nariz e Face, rhinoplasty is performed by Prof. Dr. Miguel Gonçalves Ferreira, a specialist in Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery, who has been operating since 2001 and has performed more than 9,000 rhinoplasties. The consultation can take place at our rhinoplasty in Porto or rhinoplasty in Bragapractice, or start with a video consultation.

Book your consultation or contact us on WhatsApp.

This article is for information purposes only and does not replace a medical consultation.