When Are Sutures Removed After Nose Surgery?

Hello,

This is Obje Plastic Surgery.

Earlier, I explained how important it is to practice opening your eyes after double eyelid surgery.

Nose surgery is the same in that post-surgery care is very important. So today, I will explain in detail how our clinic handles suture removal and post-operative care after nose surgery.

In fact, this is not something that is “our own special method,” but rather something that can be seen as a basic principle of nose surgery.

Many people may wonder why the nose, compared with the eyes or other surgeries, requires somewhat different care.

I hope this post will answer those questions.

If there are no problems after nose surgery, on average you need to visit the clinic about four times after the operation. At our clinic, we usually do not pack the nose with cotton, but if osteotomy has been performed, we may pack it if needed.

Of course, whenever possible, we perform the surgery so that there is little to no bleeding, but in some patients with a tendency to bleed, we place a small tube in the nose so the blood can drain properly.

However, this tube cannot be left in for long.

The reason is that if it remains for too long, germs can travel upward along the tube from the outside and cause inflammation, so it should be removed on the first or second day.

That is why on the second day after surgery, you must come in to have the blood cleaned away and the cotton and tube removed.

Of course, since suture removal is necessary, you must visit the clinic on day 7 or in the second week for nose surgery suture removal.

The reason for visiting on day 7 or in the second week is mainly to remove the stitches. Then some of you may think, “Wouldn’t it be better to just wait until day 14 and remove them all at once? Why do I have to come in on day 7 and in the second week?”

In fact, nose surgery is a procedure where inflammation must be monitored very carefully. The reason for checking progress twice, once at 7 days and once at 2 weeks, is not only to remove the stitches, but also to see whether the patient’s condition is changing, such as increasing pain or sudden swelling.

Doctor, I had surgery, but it seems to be getting more swollen. It feels like there is more bleeding as time goes on. If that happens, appropriate measures must be taken, so the medical staff needs to see the patient in person at least twice to check the progress.

Also, as for why suture removal after nose surgery is split into two sessions, facial sutures are usually removed as early as day 5 or at one week.

The reason is that leaving stitches in for too long can cause scarring. When we undergo rhinoplasty, scars usually remain around the columella and inside the nose, but scars inside the nose are not visible.

On the other hand, if the stitches on the columella are left for more than two weeks, a railroad-track-like stitch mark will remain on the nose.

Of course, in terms of the shape of the nose itself, there is no problem even if they are all removed at once after two weeks.

To summarize again, on day 7, the stitches around the columella are removed, and in the second week, the stitches inside the nose are removed.

So at some clinics, the stitches inside the nose are sewn with dissolvable sutures from the beginning.

At our clinic, since patients will visit again in the second week anyway, we prefer to sew with non-dissolvable sutures and then remove them. Through this process, patients visit three times in total: on the second day, at one week, and at two weeks, and then we do a final follow-up at around one month.

Of course, suture removal after nose surgery and removal of the tube are very important, but from the patient’s perspective, coming to the clinic every time is not necessarily easy. So when patients come in, we also provide LED (light laser) treatment as an extra service whenever possible. Therefore, even if visiting the clinic is inconvenient, we recommend that you come in regularly for the best results.

Obje Plastic Surgery provides not only suture removal after nose surgery, but also post-operative care and individualized design based on the proportions that suit each patient, and we promise responsible treatment until the desired result is achieved.

Rhinoplasty can change significantly even with small differences, so please visit our clinic and receive a consultation.