“How long will my face be numb after a nose job?”
After 3 months my face is still numb from my nose job. Is it normal?
3 Answers
PlasticSurgeonPlasticSurgeon
Your nose can be numb for a 2-3 months however the tip of your one can be numb for much longer If you had open Rhinoplasty. I can't explain why you face is numb from nose surgery. Need more info about your surgery.
It will not be your face. The nose has a variance in the time it will be numb after surgery. The usual can be 2-4 weeks. You need to be careful with the nose in this recovery period.
It depends on where you are experiencing numbness. Paresthesia, or numbness, in the nasal tip (along with edema, or swelling) can be common even further out than three (3) months postop. However, if your paresthesia (numbness) involves more than just an isolated area such as the tip, it might be considered unusual.
Were I to encounter you having this situation in my own practice, I would keep monitoring your nerve recovery every three (3) months until you've hit six (6) to nine (9) months postop. At that point, if you still had persistent numbness, I would ask your surgeon for guidance. Formal sensory nerve testing can be done with a monofilament (touching the skin with a thin wire) as well as a two-point discriminator (applying two sharp points on the skin and seeing how well you detect that they are apart from one another).
Recovery to sensory nerves to the skin, including nasal skin, is slow, at a rate of 1 mm per day. It can take up to a year or longer for full nerve recovery to occur on the body, depending on what surgery was done. I counsel my patients about this rate of recovery and I also make no promises that they will enjoy full nerve recovery, whether it is sensation of the nipples after breast surgery or sensation of the scalp after a browlift.
One over-the-counter treatment option you may want to discuss with your doctor is Vitamin B complex, which in the literature has shown some efficacy at helping with nerve regeneration. Beyond this, though, most healing, including the nerves, simply requires "tincture of time" and patience.
I hope this helps and I wish you well with your continued recovery from your rhinoplasty!
Nirav B. Patel, MD, JD, FACS, FCLM
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic, & Oculoplastic Surgery
Patel Plastic Surgery, LLC
11459 Johns Creek Parkway
Suite 240
Johns Creek, GA 30097
Office 470-395-6932
Fax 470-395-6951
Cell 203-710-9952
https://www.drpatelplasticsurgery.com/
Were I to encounter you having this situation in my own practice, I would keep monitoring your nerve recovery every three (3) months until you've hit six (6) to nine (9) months postop. At that point, if you still had persistent numbness, I would ask your surgeon for guidance. Formal sensory nerve testing can be done with a monofilament (touching the skin with a thin wire) as well as a two-point discriminator (applying two sharp points on the skin and seeing how well you detect that they are apart from one another).
Recovery to sensory nerves to the skin, including nasal skin, is slow, at a rate of 1 mm per day. It can take up to a year or longer for full nerve recovery to occur on the body, depending on what surgery was done. I counsel my patients about this rate of recovery and I also make no promises that they will enjoy full nerve recovery, whether it is sensation of the nipples after breast surgery or sensation of the scalp after a browlift.
One over-the-counter treatment option you may want to discuss with your doctor is Vitamin B complex, which in the literature has shown some efficacy at helping with nerve regeneration. Beyond this, though, most healing, including the nerves, simply requires "tincture of time" and patience.
I hope this helps and I wish you well with your continued recovery from your rhinoplasty!
Nirav B. Patel, MD, JD, FACS, FCLM
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic, & Oculoplastic Surgery
Patel Plastic Surgery, LLC
11459 Johns Creek Parkway
Suite 240
Johns Creek, GA 30097
Office 470-395-6932
Fax 470-395-6951
Cell 203-710-9952
https://www.drpatelplasticsurgery.com/
