“Can a rhinoplasty hurt years later?”

First, I am sorry that you are experiencing pain 2 years after your rhinoplasty. It is not typical for a rhinoplasty to hurt 2 years later. The typical pain and discomfort of rhinoplasty usually lasts 2 weeks to a month. I would recommend for you to see a board-certified facial plastic surgeon to further evaluate the cause of your pain.

If pain in the area of your rhinoplasty persists, consultation is recommended, perhaps with your rhinoplasty surgeon first. There are many nerves in the area of your nose, and one or more may have been injured, pulled, kinked, cut, compressed, or otherwise changed by the procedure such that the nerve is sending pain signals causing headache or discomfort. If the offending nerve can be localized, resolution is possible. A trial of local anesthesia or neuromodulator at the source of pain may help confirm, and ablation, neuroma removal, or other treatment may offer permanent relief.

Steve Laverson MD

Great question. It depends on the source of your pain. The nasal bones roughly take 6 weeks to heal and they can be painful if they have not completely healed yet. As far as the internal structures of the nose, they can produce discomfort if you are breathing in dry air or and they become irritated. Sinus infections can cause referred nasal pain. Lastly, an infection of the nose itself can cause pain. This would manifest itself typically with some redness in addition to the pain. If any of these are happening you can reach out to your rhinoplasty surgeon for a visit to have an examination. Usually rhinoplasty patients feel numb over there nose for a while after rhinoplasty. Having pain of the nose two years after surgery is unusual and you should probably be seen by a doctor. I hope this helps.