April 9, 2013

My Nose is Peeling What Can I Do?

My Nose is Peeling and Pimply After Rhinoplasty Cast Removal. What Can I Do?

Your nose skin has been occluded by the stiff cast that was placed there during surgery to protect it's new shape. Many patients will experience some pimples and/or light peeling of the nose after the case is removed. Don't be alarmed - although unpleasant to look at, this isn't dangerous at all. Here is a simple method for exfoliating your nose (and face if you like) at home. Things you will need:

  • something to tie your hair back with
  • a clean soft towel
  • a gentle cleanser or face wash
  • warm water
  • cold water
  • while not necessary, it might be nice to use any facial exfoliant scrub that you have at home, or make your own by mixing 3 tablespoons of regular white sugar with 1 tablespoon of water

What to do:

  1. Prepare: Tie your hair back.
  2. Open pores: Wet your clean soft towel with hot water and place over your face for 1 - 2 minutes.
  3. Clean: Make sure your nose and face is clean. Use a gentle cleanser or face wash with warm water to gently clean the area. Rinse and pat dry.
  4. Exfoliate: Use the wet soft towel to gently exfoliate your nose and face using a gentle circular motion and gentle pressure. If you opt to use an exfoliant scrub (either your own, or the suggested sugar scrub) apply it to the cloth while you use very gentle pressure and a circular motion to remove dead skin.
  5. Close pores: Splash your face with cold water.
  6. **The key here is to be very gentle - your nose is still healing and applying too much pressure isn't a good idea. Also, because your skin is already irritated, you don't want to scrub it and make it worse. Over exfoliating can cause breakouts - so wait at least 1 week before repeating.

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Still have questions? A patient care expert is here to answer them. Please do not hesitate to contact us today with your post rhinoplasty recovery questions.

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