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Gangnam before & after

Rhinoplasty before and after: what to expect

A week-by-week recovery timeline from Gangnam clinics.

Most Gangnam rhinoplasty patients are back in public within 7–10 days, once the cast comes off and visible bruising fades. What you see at cast removal isn't the final result. The tip keeps refining for months as deep swelling resolves. The arc looks like this: a swollen, taped first week; a presentable but still obviously post-op second week; a near-normal nose by month two; and a settled result around month 12, with subtle changes continuing into year two if your skin is on the thicker side.

Rhinoplasty — Gangnam recovery timeline

Before surgery: what to prepare

Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and any prescription blood thinners 10–14 days before surgery. Your clinic will give you an exact list. Stop fish oil, vitamin E, ginseng, ginkgo in the same window; these all increase bruising. Smoking and vaping must stop at least 2 weeks before and stay stopped through week 4 post-op. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and is the single biggest controllable risk factor for skin necrosis and graft failure. Fast from midnight the night before. Bring zip-up or button shirts only, no pullovers for the first two weeks. Pre-op photos from three angles are standard; bring reference photos if you have them, but understand the surgeon will tell you which features are achievable for your anatomy.

The day of surgery

Asian rhinoplasty in Gangnam is usually done under general anaesthesia or deep sedation, and runs 2–4 hours depending on whether the work is tip refinement only, dorsal augmentation with an implant or diced cartilage, or a full revision with rib graft. You wake up with a hard external cast across the bridge, internal silicone splints or packing if the septum was touched, and a small drip-pad taped under the nostrils to catch oozing. Most clinics discharge same-day; revision or rib-graft cases sometimes stay one night. You won't eat or speak much for the first few hours. Expect nausea from anaesthesia and a sore throat from the breathing tube.

Days 1–3: peak swelling

Bruising and swelling peak around day 2–3. Under-eye bruising is normal even though the surgery is on the nose; blood tracks down through the soft tissue. Pain is usually moderate, not severe. What patients describe more often is pressure, congestion, and the strange feeling of breathing through your mouth. Sleep on your back with your head elevated 30–45 degrees on two pillows for the first two weeks. That one habit reduces swelling more than anything else you can do. Cold compresses on the cheeks (never directly on the nose or cast) during the first 48 hours help. Do not blow your nose. Do not bend over to pick anything up.

Week 1: stitches out, bruising fades

The cast and any external sutures come off around day 5–7 at your follow-up. This is when most patients post their first selfie. The nose looks much narrower and more refined than it actually will once swelling settles, since the cast has been compressing it for a week. Internal silicone splints, if used, usually come out at the same visit, though revision or septal cases sometimes keep them in for 10–14 days to prevent adhesions. Breathing usually improves within hours of splint removal, but mucosal swelling can keep you congested for another week. The bruising has shifted from purple to yellow-green and is largely concealable with makeup. You can be in public, but anyone who looks closely will see you had something done.

Weeks 2–4: back to public

By the end of week 2 most patients return to office work and light social settings. Visible bruising is largely gone, though yellow staining from osteotomies can linger another week or so. The nose still looks slightly swollen, especially at the tip and the radix between the eyes, and feels stiff and numb to the touch. That's normal and resolves over months. Light exercise (walking, stationary bike at low intensity) can usually resume around week 2; strenuous cardio, weightlifting, yoga inversions, and contact sports wait until week 4 minimum. No glasses resting on the bridge for 4–6 weeks. Use contacts, or tape them to your forehead. Expect the longer end of that window if you had osteotomies or dorsal augmentation. Saline nasal spray two or three times a day helps clear crusting after the splints come out. No swimming, saunas, or jjimjilbang for at least a month.

Months 2–3: swelling resolves

By month 3 most of the bridge and sidewall swelling has resolved. The tip is the slowest area, and patients with thicker sebaceous skin can still see noticeable tip swelling at this point. The nose looks normal to anyone who didn't know you before. You'll still feel internal stiffness when you smile or press on the tip. If an implant was used, this is when it has fully integrated and the skin envelope has redraped. Sun protection matters here. Pigmentation in healing scar tissue is a real risk, especially for patients with Fitzpatrick III–V skin. Use a mineral SPF 50+ with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide on the nose daily for the first three months. Chemical sunscreens can sometimes irritate fresh scar tissue.

Months 6–12: the final result

The remaining swelling resolves slowly and unevenly across months 6–12. The tip is last. By month 12, what you see is essentially the final result for most patients, though those with thicker skin or who had dorsal augmentation can see subtle refinement continue into months 18–24. Revision discussions, if any, happen at month 12 minimum, never earlier, because what looks like a contour issue at month 6 often resolves on its own. Internal scar tissue continues to mature for up to 18 months. Numbness in the tip typically resolves by month 6–9; in revision cases it can take longer or be partial.

Red flags: when to call the clinic

Call the clinic the same day for: fever over 38.5°C after day 2, sudden one-sided severe swelling or pain that wasn't there yesterday, foul-smelling discharge from the nostrils, bleeding that soaks through the drip-pad faster than once an hour, or skin on the bridge or tip that turns dusky, white, or black. These can indicate infection, septal hematoma, or compromised blood supply to a graft or the skin envelope. A septal hematoma specifically presents as total nasal obstruction (you cannot move any air through one or both sides) combined with worsening pain and pressure between the eyes. This is a surgical emergency, and the clinic needs to drain it the same day. If you had an implant placed, persistent localized redness, tenderness, or thinning skin over the implant past the first two weeks is a separate flag for possible extrusion or late infection. Book a same-week follow-up for that. Go to an emergency room (not the clinic) for: difficulty breathing that wasn't from congestion, chest pain, or visible spreading redness up the face. Routine soreness, congestion, taste changes, and asymmetric swelling in the first week are not red flags.

Patient before/after photo reviews

44 patient-published photo reviews across 16 clinics and 3 sources. Photos stay on the original platform so credit, context, and consent stay with the patient who posted them.