Just some things I wish someone told me before my rhinoplasty
I’m 26 days post-op from rhinoplasty in Korea and I’ve been reflecting a lot on the recovery process and honestly… there were so many little things I wish I was told beforehand
For reference, I got my surgery done at Link and ended up getting a bridge augmentation + tipplasty, short nose correction, hump reduction, and alar reduction. Before surgery I spent SO much time researching clinics, consultations, surgeons, procedure types, etc. that I barely thought about the actual recovery side of things until right before surgery.
One thing I really wanna emphasize is removing ALL metal piercings ahead of time. I know it sounds basic, but I completely forgot about my nose ring and ended up having my friend remove it for me in the waiting room the day of surgery and that was NOT a pleasant experience
Also… avoid mirrors in the very beginning if you can. I’m serious the swelling during the first days/weeks can really mess with you mentally especially with rhinoplasty because your nose will probably look the biggest it’s ever looked in your life and it changes constantly. I would literally spiral and convince myself I ruined my face some mornings. Looking back now at almost a month, I’m really glad I went ahead with it.
Another thing is how much sleeping sucked at first. I’m naturally a side sleeper, so trying to sleep elevated on my back felt genuinely impossible the first couple nights. I suffered for two nights before making my friend order me a better neck pillow off Coupang. If you’re also a side sleeper, PLEASE get a comfortable neck pillow beforehand because it made such a difference for me.
I’m also really glad I packed a lot of comfy clothes and button-up / zip-up tops because not having to pull shirts over your face right after surgery is such a small thing but very helpful!!
Something else that helped a lot was going outside for light walks once I had the energy. HOWEVER do it in moderation lmao I was told walking helps with swelling, so I kind of overdid it on my second day and almost made myself sick 😭 Especially now that the weather is getting hotter, please be careful and stay hydrated.
It’s also crazy how dry my mouth got from the mouth breathing, so definitely get a good lip balm or whatever else helps with dryness because I was STRUGGLING.
Honestly though, one of the biggest things that helped mentally was taking progress photos every single day. A bit anal of me but swelling changes so gradually that without photos I think I would’ve convinced myself nothing was improving.
If anyone else went through rhinoplasty recovery and had things they wish they knew beforehand or things nobody warned you about please feel free to leave a comment!!