Wait about 2 to 3 weeks after a standard rhinoplasty before gently blowing your nose, or about 4 weeks after septorhinoplasty, revision or graft surgery, with normal blowing usually fine from about 4 weeks once your surgeon is happy with your healing. Blowing your nose might seem like a simple part of daily life, but after surgery it becomes something you need to be very careful with. Many patients worry about accidentally ruining their results, especially if they’re dealing with a runny or congested nose during recovery.
When Can I Blow My Nose After Rhinoplasty?
Most surgeons recommend avoiding nose blowing for at least 2 to 3 weeks after rhinoplasty. During this early stage, your nose is still healing, and forceful air pressure can cause bleeding, disrupt stitches, or even disturb the delicate healing structures inside your nose.
If your nose feels blocked in the meantime, manage it gently rather than blowing, and see our guide on what not to do after rhinoplasty for the wider list. Contact the clinic or seek urgent advice if you have heavy bleeding that will not settle, a fever, or spreading redness.
How Long After Rhinoplasty Can I Blow My Nose, By Type Of Surgery?
As a general guide, we advise waiting about 2 to 3 weeks before gently blowing your nose after a standard rhinoplasty, and about 4 weeks when bone, the septum or grafts are involved. The timings below are typical, but recovery varies and your own surgeon's instructions always come first.
| Type of surgery | Before any gentle blowing |
|---|---|
| Standard rhinoplasty | About 2 to 3 weeks, then one nostril at a time, very gently |
| Septorhinoplasty / septoplasty | About 4 weeks |
| Revision or graft surgery | About 4 weeks |
| When normal (both-nostril) blowing resumes | From about 4 weeks |
These timings are a general guide for our own patients. Your own surgeon's discharge instructions always come first.
One important sign to watch: any bleeding is a sign that your nasal passages are still healing, and may mean waiting an extra week before you blow. If you notice bleeding, hold off and keep an eye on it.
Why Is Blowing Your Nose Too Early Risky?
In the first weeks the inside of your nose is still healing, so forcing air through it can do real harm. The main risks are bleeding, pressure that disturbs the healing cartilage or bone, and extra swelling that slows your whole recovery.
- Bleeding from the small blood vessels that are still healing inside the nose.
- Pressure that can disturb healing cartilage or bone before it has set into its new position.
- More swelling and a slower recovery, which can delay the point at which your result settles. The swelling timeline explains how this settles.
How Can I Clear A Blocked Nose Safely While I Wait?
You do not have to put up with a blocked nose, you just manage it without blowing. Saline spray, dabbing rather than wiping, gentle sniff-and-spit, a cool-mist humidifier and keeping your head elevated all help, and you should never put anything inside the nose.
- Use a saline spray or mist as your surgeon has directed, to loosen and soothe.
- Dab, don't wipe, at the entrance of the nostril with a soft tissue.
- Sniff gently and spit rather than blowing, to move mucus to the back of the throat.
- Run a cool-mist humidifier to stop the air drying your nose out.
- Keep your head elevated, including when you sleep, to ease congestion and swelling.
- Use decongestant sprays only if your surgeon allows it, and follow their instructions.
- Never put anything inside the nose to clean or clear it during early healing.
For step-by-step cleaning, see our guide to cleaning your nose after rhinoplasty, and if you had internal dressings, nasal packing after rhinoplasty explains what to expect.
"I tell my own patients to keep the head elevated, especially when sleeping, to reduce internal swelling and so reduce the need to blow the nose in the first place. As a preventative measure, use a salt-water spray to hydrate the nose, or a decongestant where your surgeon allows it, to help control the mucus the sinuses produce."
Mr Taimur Shoaib, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Berkeley Square Medical
I Blew My Nose 5 Days After Rhinoplasty. Have I Damaged It?
Try not to panic. A single gentle blow in the early days usually settles without lasting problems, and most people are fine. It is still worth watching your nose closely for a short while, and telling your surgeon if you are worried, as there are a few specific warning signs that mean you should call them.
Call your surgeon if, after blowing your nose, you notice any of these:
- Bleeding that will not stop after 10 to 15 minutes of gentle, steady pressure.
- A new change in the shape of your nose.
- Sudden or severe pain.
- Breathing that suddenly becomes worse.
If instead you knocked, bumped or sneezed on your nose, rather than blew it, our guide to hitting your nose after rhinoplasty covers knocks and impacts.
If You Blew Your Nose Or Sneezed Early: What To Expect By Stage
What a blow or sneeze means depends a lot on how far into recovery you are. In the first week the nose is most fragile; by about four weeks it is far more settled. Use the stage you are at to judge what is normal and what to do.
| Stage | What is usually normal | What to watch for | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 7 | The most fragile stage; a little blood-tinged discharge can appear | Fresh bleeding that will not settle, a sudden shape change, severe pain | Avoid blowing entirely; manage congestion with saline and head elevation; call if a warning sign appears |
| Weeks 2 to 3 | Healing is progressing but the structure is still setting | Bleeding, increased swelling or pain after a blow or sneeze | Still avoid forceful blowing; after a standard rhinoplasty your surgeon may clear very gentle, one-nostril blowing around now |
| About 4 weeks | Much more settled; gentle normal blowing is usually allowed from around now, and from about 4 weeks after septorhinoplasty, revision or graft surgery | Any sudden pain, bleeding or shape change is less expected now | Blow gently, one nostril at a time to begin with, then build up; report anything that feels wrong |
| 6 weeks and beyond | Well settled; a cold or hay fever is usually manageable normally | Little to watch for from blowing itself | Blow normally but still kindly; keep up saline if you are congested with a cold |
How Do I Blow My Nose Gently Once I Am Cleared?
Once your surgeon has given you the go-ahead, the technique matters. Blow one nostril at a time, never pinch both sides shut, use only light pressure, and build up gradually over several days. Stop straight away if there is any pain or bleeding.
- One nostril at a time, leaving the other side open.
- Do not pinch both sides shut and force the air.
- Use light pressure only, with a soft tissue.
- Build up gradually over several days rather than all at once.
- Stop if there is pain or bleeding, and leave it a little longer.
What About Sneezing?
If you feel a sneeze coming, sneeze with your mouth open to let the pressure out, and try not to hold it in, as a stifled sneeze forces pressure up through the healing nose. Our guide to hitting your nose after rhinoplasty covers sneezing worries in more detail.
What About Blowing Your Nose After Septoplasty Or Turbinate Surgery?
After septoplasty, turbinate or sinus surgery, around 4 weeks is a reasonable general guide before gentle blowing, but the timelines can differ from a cosmetic rhinoplasty, so follow the discharge sheet your surgeon or ENT team gave you and manage congestion with saline until then. If your procedure combined breathing and shape work, our septorhinoplasty in London page explains how the two are treated together.
