Procedure Specific Instructions

Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty

You may have an external splint and/or internal packing placed inside your nose after surgery. If cartilage was obtained from one or both ears as part of your surgery, there will be a bolster and dressing there as well. These will be removed at your first postoperative appointment.
It is normal to have bloody drainage for several days after surgery. You will have a small gauze dressing underneath your nostrils immediately afterwards. Change this dressing as needed as it becomes saturated. If you develop a brisk bleed or steady stream of bloody drainage requiring you to change it more than once an hour, you should contact Dr. Chen’s office.
Do not blow your nose for at least 1 month after surgery as this may cause bleeding and/or disrupt healing.
If you have to sneeze, sneeze with your mouth open.
It is expected that your breathing will be obstructed initially after surgery due to swelling, accumulation of dried blood and mucus, and nasal splints. As such, you will have to breathe through your mouth for the first week.
Rinsing your nose with saline is the most important thing for you to do in the postoperative period. Dr. Chen recommends using the NeilMed Sinus Rinse kit at least 5 times a day. You cannot overdo it. In addition, there are smaller nasal saline spray bottles that can be used throughout the day to moisturize the inside of the nose. All of these can be obtained over-the-counter.

Blepharoplasty, Ptosis Repair, and Brow Lift

The skin of the eyelids is very thin and show bruising and swelling readily. Due to being upright, bruising will track downwards from the forehead to the upper lids and then to the lower lids and cheeks. Do not be alarmed if this occurs.
The best thing that can be done to minimize bruising and swelling is to ice the eyes frequently. Dr. Chen recommends applying ice for 3-5 minutes every hour while awake for the first week.
You may experience dry eyes after surgery. This is expected and usually resolves with some time. You may use artificial tears until then.

Facelift and Neck Lift

You will be seen the day following surgery to have your first dressing change. At this visit, a new dressing will be applied that you can take off the next day.
Specifically after this procedure, you should wait until the third day after surgery to shower.
Men should wait until one week after surgery after all sutures and staples have been removed to resume shaving.
Dr. Chen will discuss using a special compression garment after your first postoperative visit.