# Hygiene and cleaning after rhinoplasty: what to do in the first weeks > How to rinse the nose, wash your face, shower and care for tapes and stitches after rhinoplasty, and the everyday mistakes that slow healing. Source: https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/blog/hygiene-and-cleaning-after-rhinoplasty/ Updated: 2026-10-29 Published 4 March 2025 4 min read How to rinse the nose, wash your face, shower and care for tapes and stitches after rhinoplasty, and the everyday mistakes that slow healing. In short Rinse the inside of your nose gently with saline, do not blow it, and keep the splint and tapes dry by wiping your face rather than washing it for as long as they are on. You can shower and wash your hair with lukewarm water from the day after surgery; avoid baths, saunas and steam rooms for a month and keep the nose out of the sun for three months. The operation is only half of a [rhinoplasty](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/rhinoplasty/). The other half is the few weeks of healing that follow, and what you do in that time has a real effect on the result. Good hygiene lowers the risk of infection, keeps the nose comfortable and helps the swelling settle in the shape Dr. Teker planned. None of it is difficult, but a few habits need to change for a while. ## Inside the nose After surgery the lining of the nose is swollen and produces crusts, dried blood and mucus. This is normal and it is one reason the nose feels blocked in the first week even when nothing is physically in the way. Rinse gently with saline. A sterile salt-water spray, or the saline rinse your surgeon recommends, used several times a day, softens mucus and crusts so they clear on their own. Lean slightly forward over a basin, apply the solution to each side and let it run out. Do not force it in under pressure. If Dr. Teker has prescribed an ointment or a specific spray, use it exactly as instructed. Do not blow your nose. For at least two weeks the pressure of blowing can disturb the stitches inside, start a nosebleed and push swelling around. If you have to sneeze, sneeze with your mouth open so that the pressure escapes that way. Do not put anything into the nostrils: no cotton buds, no fingers, no attempts to pick at crusts. They will come away by themselves. ## Washing your face Keep the splint and the tapes dry for as long as they are on. Rather than washing your face under running water, wipe it gently with a soft cloth or cotton pad moistened with lukewarm water and a mild cleanser, keeping clear of the splint and tapes. Pat the skin around the nose dry rather than rubbing. Make-up can usually be used on the cheeks and eyes from the second week to cover bruising; avoid the nose itself until the tapes are off and the skin is settled. ## Showering and washing your hair You can shower and wash your hair from the day after surgery, keeping the splint and tapes dry. Use lukewarm, not hot, water: heat increases swelling and can start a nosebleed. When washing your hair, tilt your head back, as at a hairdresser, so that water runs away from the face, or ask someone to help for the first few days. Avoid baths, saunas and steam rooms for a month. Always follow the washing instructions Dr. Teker gives you. ## Tapes and stitches The tapes over the bridge and tip support the skin and reduce swelling. Leave them alone until Dr. Teker removes or changes them, usually at the day-seven visit. If a tape edge lifts, do not pull it off; press it gently back or leave it. If a tape or the splint slips or comes off, do not try to replace it yourself; call the practice. Stitches inside the nose dissolve on their own. If an open technique was used, the fine stitches on the columella, the strip of skin between the nostrils, are removed at the same visit as the splint, and the small scar can be kept clean with a saline-moistened cotton pad, or with the antiseptic solution or cream you were given. After removal, a thin layer of the recommended cream keeps the area soft. ## Sun Fresh skin after surgery pigments easily. For the first three months, keep the nose out of direct sun, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen once the tapes are off, and use a hat outdoors. Sunburn on a healing nose swells and can leave lasting marks. ## Sleeping and activity Sleep on your back with your head raised on two pillows for the first two weeks; it reduces swelling overnight and protects the nose from a careless roll. Avoid bending forward, lifting anything heavy, sports and anything that raises the pulse and blood pressure for two to three weeks, as these increase swelling and bleeding risk. Walking is encouraged from the first day. ## Common mistakes Touching the nose. Constant checking with the fingers irritates the skin and can shift a healing bridge. Resist the urge. Glasses on the bridge. Their weight can leave a dent while the bones are healing. For about six weeks, tape glasses to the forehead or wear contact lenses. Blowing or sniffing hard. Both raise pressure inside the nose. Hot showers and spicy food. Both dilate blood vessels and increase swelling in the first week. Smoking. It reduces blood supply to healing tissue and raises the risk of complications. Stop before surgery and stay off it for at least a month afterwards. Skipping the follow-up. The day-seven visit, when the splint comes off and the nose is checked and re-taped, is not optional. ## When to contact the practice Some blood-stained discharge, a blocked nose and bruising are expected. A nosebleed that does not stop with ten minutes of gentle pressure, a fever, increasing redness or pain, or a sudden change in the shape of the nose after a knock should be reported the same day. The practice can be reached by phone during working hours. In an emergency, call 112. Healing needs patience more than effort: keep the nose clean and protected, follow the schedule, and give the swelling time to go down. ## References 1. Ishii LE, Tollefson TT, Basura GJ, Rosenfeld RM, Abramson PJ, Chaiet SR, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Improving Nasal Form and Function after Rhinoplasty. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 2017;156(S2). [doi:10.1177/0194599816683153](https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599816683153). 2. NHS. Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty). NHS (National Health Service, UK). 2023. Available from: [nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/cosmetic-procedures/cosmetic-surgery/nose-reshaping-rhinoplasty](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/cosmetic-procedures/cosmetic-surgery/nose-reshaping-rhinoplasty/) \[cited 2026 Oct 12\]. 3. ENT UK. Septorhinoplasty. ENT UK. 2022. Available from: [entuk.org/patients/conditions/61/septorhinoplasty](https://www.entuk.org/patients/conditions/61/septorhinoplasty) \[cited 2026 Oct 14\]. Medically reviewed by Op. Dr. Cenk Teker, 26 October 2026 ![Op. Dr. Cenk Teker, ear, nose and throat surgeon, standing by a window in a navy suit](https://www.drcenkteker.com/_astro/op-dr-cenk-teker-portrait-crop.BH1lhoBD_Z1TExjO.webp) By Op. Dr. Cenk Teker Updated 29 October 2026 [About](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/about/) Related procedures [Combined Rhinoplasty (Septorhinoplasty)](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/combined-rhinoplasty/) [Crooked Nose Surgery](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/deviated-nose-surgery/) [Ethnic Rhinoplasty](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/ethnic-rhinoplasty/) [Revision Rhinoplasty](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/revision-rhinoplasty/) [Rhinoplasty](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/procedures/rhinoplasty/) ## More articles [26 October 2026 · 6 min read A crooked nose after an injury: the first days, and straightening it later What to do in the first days after a blow to the nose, which signs need urgent help, why the septum bends too, and how a crooked nose is corrected later. Read more](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/blog/crooked-nose-after-an-injury/) [14 October 2026 · 5 min read Revision rhinoplasty: when and why a second operation is done Why a second nose operation is sometimes needed, why surgeons usually wait about a year, what is assessed, and where cartilage grafts come from. Read more](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/blog/revision-rhinoplasty-when-and-why/) [22 July 2026 · 4 min read Septoplasty or rhinoplasty: which one do I need? The difference between surgery for breathing and surgery for shape, how to tell which problem you have, and why the two are so often combined. Read more](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/blog/septoplasty-vs-rhinoplasty-which-do-i-need/) [All articles](https://www.drcenkteker.com/en/blog/) ## Talk it through with Dr. Teker Write on WhatsApp or call to request an appointment. Consultations take place at the practice in Bakırköy. 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