Read the practical considerations around risks and potential complications of rhinoplasty, with individual preparation and recovery decisions confirmed by your treating team.
Key points
- Discuss your individual suitability, alternatives and risks with the treating clinician.
- Ask for written preparation and recovery instructions, including your medicines and follow-up.
- Confirm the healthcare facility, full costs and arrangements before booking travel.
On this page
- General Facts:
- Common rhinoplasty risks and complications
- Rhinoplasty complications regarding the function of the nose
- Rhinoplasty possible complications regarding skin and soft tissues
- Infections and other systemic complications of rhinoplasty
- Bleeding after rhinoplasty
- Rhinoplasty anesthesia complications
- Revision rhinoplasty complications
- Liquid rhinoplasty complications and risks
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- A practical point for your care
- Plan your next step
- Sources
Rhinoplasty or nose job is a surgical procedure that helps you change the shape of your nose to improve your look and breathe better. Rhinoplasty is considered a safe surgery even for elderly patients, but just like in any other surgery, rhinoplasty risks and complications are almost inevitable although they might be minimized by choosing a proficient surgeon.
Since rhinoplasty procedure involves working many types of tissues such as skin, bones, cartilage, nerves, muscles, fat, etc., the surgeon cannot always control or predict the exact reactions of every one of them. As a result, it is possible that you notice a change in the looks of your nose in the long term after a year or so following the surgery. In the short term, you may also suffer from a few complications.
In this article, we will tell you all about rhinoplasty risks and complications to be able to prepare for them if you are planning to have a rhinoplasty.
General Facts:
- Rhinoplasty is considered a safe surgery with a few possible risks and complications
- Secondary or revision rhinoplasty is associated with more severe risks and complications, albeit similar in nature to those of primary rhinoplasty
- Liquid rhinoplasty has fewer complications than surgical rhinoplasty
- Most of the complications and side effects are temporary and does not require hospitalization
- You might lose sense around your nose for a while after rhinoplasty
- Some patients might have a negative reaction to anesthesia
Common rhinoplasty risks and complications
Some of the common complications associated with surgical rhinoplasty may include:
- Bleeding
- Numbness in the area around the nose
- Perforation in the septum
Rhinoplasty can be performed either as a closed or open surgery. The main difference between open and closed rhinoplasty is that no visible surgical incision is done in closed rhinoplasty, making it cause no visible scar. Thus scaring is not considered a complication of a side effect after closed rhinoplasty while other complications can occur after it as with open rhinoplasty. On the other hand, the incision of open rhinoplasty is done between the nostrils, making the scar after rhinoplasty barely visible on the long term.
Bleeding is one of the common complications associated with surgical nose surgery.
Rhinoplasty complications regarding the function of the nose
Rhinoplasty is performed in several cases to enhance breathing and enable the patients to breathe easily. However, rhinoplasty can decrease the cross-section of the nasal airways, which might result in some difficulties in breathing.
Some of the patients might complain about breathing problems. These breathing problems might be new or residual caused by remaining septal deviations or nasal vestibular stenosis. The separation of the upper cartilages from the septum may cause some valve problems.
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Rhinoplasty possible complications regarding skin and soft tissues
Swelling is very normal after rhinoplasty but it is possible to have complications like:
- Abnormal swelling
- Hematoma
- Skin narcosis
These complications might lead to pain, fibrosis, and numbness. In some cases, the patient might have subcutaneous cysts and granulomas.
- Also Read: How long does it take to recover from a nose job?
Nose swelling is very normal after a nose job surgery.
Infections and other systemic complications of rhinoplasty
Lacrimal drainage damage is also possible after rhinoplasty. It can develop several months after rhinoplasty but it is a very rare complication.
Rhinoplasty risk of blindness is quite rare after rhinoplasty. It can happen due to the occlusion of the central retinal artery after rhinoplasty.
Bleeding after rhinoplasty
It is normal to bleed from your nose after rhinoplasty. However, excessive bleeding can be a problem. You might need to use ice, nasal packing and blood transfer in some severe cases.
You May Like to See Before & After Photos of Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty anesthesia complications
Some patients might suffer from negative reactions to anesthesia. The reactions might include vomiting, nausea, pain in the throat, and confusion. The risks of anesthesia complications after rhinoplasty are not common, but your doctor will perform few tests to avoid any possible negative reactions.
To avoid any possible side effects and reduce the risks of rhinoplasty, your doctor will conduct a physical examination and ask you to have a few blood tests done. He/She will review your medical history to make sure you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty.
Revision rhinoplasty complications
Revision or secondary rhinoplasty is the surgery done on the nose after the first or primary rhinoplasty goes wrong for some reason. This makes secondary rhinoplasty much more complicated and challenging because the tissues and structures of the nose are compromised.
This might also make the complications of revision nose job more severe than that of the primary one, although they are of the same nature, including swelling, bleeding, scaring, sun damage and so on.
However, choosing the right surgeon for your secondary rhinoplasty who have a lot of experience may minimize these complications and side effects.
The complications of revision nose job may be more severe than that of the primary one
Liquid rhinoplasty complications and risks
Filler rhinoplasty, or what is also called liquid rhinoplasty, is a common non-surgical procedure done on the nose by injecting dermal filler to achieve temporary cosmetic results that lasts for about a year.
Since it is a non-surgical technique, liquid rhinoplasty has fewer complications. However, liquid rhinoplasty complications and risks may include:
- Tenderness
- Bleeding
- Some bruising
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A practical point for your care
Before an operation, the pre-assessment team should review your health, previous tests and all medicines and supplements. Ask for written instructions on medicines, eating, drinking and aftercare that apply to your planned procedure.[1]
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Sources
[1] NHS: Preparing for surgery — supports the individual-care planning note above. ↑ Back to text
Editorial adaptation: 25 October 2026. General information for planning and discussion; your clinician’s individual instructions take priority.