Is It Okay to Take a Flight Right After Nose Surgery? A Plastic Surgeon’s Fact Check!

Is it okay to take a flight right after nose surgery?

A plastic surgeon’s fact check!

Hello, this is Objet Plastic Surgery.

This year’s Chuseok holiday is quite long, right? With the break lasting a full 7 days, many people are making plans for overseas travel, plastic surgery, or procedures.

Many people also come to Objet for plastic surgery consultations.

We conduct consultations for a variety of procedures, but during long holiday periods, the proportion of nose surgery consultations tends to increase in particular.

Perhaps this is because nose surgery is thought to require a longer recovery period than double eyelid surgery or under-eye surgery. During nose surgery consultations, there is one question patients always ask.

Is it okay to take a flight right after nose surgery?

Because many people schedule surgery during long holidays, they often wonder whether they can take a flight and travel abroad immediately after nose surgery, or, in the case of patients visiting from overseas, whether they can schedule their departure right away.

In today’s post, we would like to answer the question that nose surgery patients ask most often: whether it is okay to take a flight right after nose surgery.

If you are considering nose surgery, or if you are planning to travel abroad immediately after nose surgery, please be sure to check this out.

Can you fly after nose surgery

only after 2 weeks?

Objet Plastic Surgery sees many patients from overseas as well as many local patients. Because of that, when consulting about nose surgery, we often get asked when it is safe to take a flight after the procedure.

Can you take a flight just 2 weeks after nose surgery? To answer first: yes, you can.

After nose surgery, we recommend allowing at least 7 to 10 days of recovery and having the stitches removed before traveling as the minimum standard. That is why we usually advise waiting about 2 weeks after nose surgery before taking a flight.

The first 48 hours after nose surgery are when the nose is most sensitive.

Within 48 hours after nose surgery, not much time has passed since the sutures were placed. As a result, even small actions in daily life that put slight strain on the face can irritate the surgical area and slow recovery. That is why we advise avoiding exercise that puts force on the face or lifting heavy objects until recovery is well underway after nose surgery.

What happens if you take a flight within 48 hours after nose surgery?

When you fly, as the plane ascends to high altitude, air density decreases and air pressure becomes lower, creating a pressure difference. This pressure difference can cause your ears to feel blocked and can lead to motion-sickness-like symptoms.

If you take a flight before you have fully recovered from nose surgery, the pressure difference may cause the stitches at the surgical site to burst, which could lead to acute bleeding.

In addition, after nose surgery, the previously low nose becomes higher, creating a small empty space around it. If a pressure difference occurs before this empty space has fully healed, air may rarely enter the space, causing the nose to suddenly swell.

That is why it is better to wait long enough after surgery so that the surgical area can stabilize to some extent before taking a flight. At Objet, the recommended period is about 7 to 10 days. If you have a little more time, we recommend scheduling your flight after allowing about 2 weeks of recovery following nose surgery.

During nose surgery consultations, patients sometimes cautiously ask, "Can I ask about even things like this?" Because they worry they may be being troublesome or asking something too minor, they hesitate to ask.

Since nose surgery is not an easy decision, we at Objet Plastic Surgery fully understand that patients have many questions. That is why, at Objet Plastic Surgery, we explain everything in detail whenever patients have questions, no matter how small the matter may seem.

In particular, Director Jang Wook of Objet Plastic Surgery has extensive experience in nose surgery and kindly answers patients’ questions based on professional knowledge and experience. We explain everything in detail, even if it seems minor, so please feel free to ask.

Has your question about whether you can take a flight after nose surgery been answered? We will continue to go over post-nose-surgery precautions that patients often wonder about one by one, so if you are considering nose surgery, please stay tuned for future posts as well!

If you have any additional questions or would like a consultation about nose surgery, please visit Objet Plastic Surgery. We will help explain your questions in detail, one by one.

That is all from Objet Plastic Surgery. Thank you.

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• This post is medical information prepared by Objet Plastic Surgery Clinic in compliance with the Medical Advertising Act.

• The effects of the procedure may vary depending on the individual, and side effects may occur.

We strongly recommend having a thorough consultation with the medical staff in advance before deciding on the procedure.