Will It Hurt?

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding rhinoplasty is whether or not it will hurt. The answer is a two part-er, the surgery itself will not hurt, but you will be sore during the healing process.During the SurgeryDuring your nose job you will feel no pain at all because you will be under general anesthesia. General anesthesia is medically induced unconsciousness. You can’t feel anything, remember anything, or move when you are under general anesthesia.Going under general anesthesia is slightly risky because there is a very small chance that you will react badly to it, but there is a much larger chance that your nose job would go poorly if you were not completely sedated for it. For example, imagine what would happen if your body decided you needed to cough in the middle of your surgery.Because there is a risk involved with general anesthesia, Dr. Tobias does all his surgeries at a local hospital rather than in a clinic. If something goes wrong, you can get immediate and full medical attention.In Recovery After surgery, you are going to be in pain. Thankfully, closed rhinoplasty, which is Dr. Tobias’s specialty, causes less swelling and bruising, and is therefore less painful to recover from, than traditional open rhinoplasty.The difference comes from the degree of disruption to the nose and its skin. In an open procedure, an incision is made in the columella (the area between the nostrils) and the skin is then pulled back for the operation. During a closed procedure, incisions are made inside the nose and the columella is not cut. Once a closed rhinoplasty has been completed, the inner nose is stitched closed, leaving no visible scarring. There is also no need for packing, or external splints or casts.Being able to rest for a few days after surgery can help speed the healing process and reduce pain. The less moving around you do, the better you are going to feel. Most patients are able to return to work or school after a week to 10 days and can resume more strenuous activity in about a month.