When will I see the results of rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty results by stage: first week, first month, first year
Swelling changes how the nose looks at each stage, so a result is best read at set points: the first week, the first month and the first year. What you see at the first week is an early look, and the first year is where a surgeon is more likely to call the shape settled.
When a nose result was measured
The first question to ask of any outcome claim is when it was measured. Researchers who study this ask patients to rate their outcome at stated follow-up points. One example is a patient-reported outcomes study of rhinoplasty patients, which assessed results with a questionnaire module.
If you are also weighing a non-surgical route, read about it separately. This overview of nonsurgical rhinoplasty covers that option, and its timeline question is a different one from surgery.
Visits where the nose result gets judged
Ask your surgeon these questions and write down the answers:
- At which visit will you judge my early result, and at which will you judge the later one?
- What would make you ask me to wait longer before judging?
- Will you show me photos of other patients taken at those same follow-up points?
What each stage should look like on your nose
Ask your surgeon to describe what you should see at the first week, the first month and the first year, and what would count as a reason to wait longer.