Will sneezing damage my new nose surgery?

Patient question:

I am considering getting Rhinoplasty in September I have bad allergies. I am concerned that I will sneeze after surgery and damage my new nose. Will I require nasal packing after surgery?

Dr. Solomon answers:

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon.

This is a common question. Allergies should be optimized if possible prior to surgery with antihistamines and possibly nasal steroids if you have problems with nasal breathing and have been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis the nose will likely be extra stuffy after the surgery. Generally I recommend avoiding the nasal steroid medication after Rhinoplasty surgery for a few weeks and to just use saline solution to keep the nose moist and clean during the healing period.

I generally use only a small tampon in the nose for one night after surgery. In some cases I will not use any packing at all. If there is minimal bleeding surgery no packing will be used. If there is a bit of bleeding a small pack will be used just for the first night. I will carefully suture all the nasal incisions from the surgery which will generally keep the bleeding to a minimum. If you have a fear of packing we will do all we can to avoid it.