Washing sounds simple until you have a splint on your nose and a list of rules from the internet. Advice online ranges from “no baths for weeks” to “shower normally”, and hospital leaflets show the same spread. This guide compares what they say, explains the reasons they give, and lists questions for your surgeon.

Key takeaways

  • NHS hospital leaflets differ: one says you may bathe as normal after discharge, others advise avoiding hot baths for the first days to 2 weeks, mainly because of bleeding.
  • Swimming is the stricter rule. One NHS Scotland health board lists swimming among things to avoid for 6 weeks, and the CDC says to stay out of the water with an open surgical wound.
  • Surgeons set their own dates for splints and dressings, so ask when the splint may get wet.

Can you shower or take a bath after rhinoplasty?

It depends on your surgeon’s protocol. Here is how four NHS leaflets handle it. They are local examples, not national rules.

Source Bathing and showering Reason given
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire “You may bath as normal after your discharge from the hospital” None stated
NHS Tayside, septorhinoplasty leaflet Avoid hot baths, heavy lifting and straining for 2 weeks Not stated in this leaflet
NHS Tayside, nose surgery aftercare leaflet Avoid extremes of temperature (and alcohol) Both can cause congestion in the nose and make it bleed
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Avoid hot baths; keep dressings clean, dry and intact Heat may cause bleeding

Sources: Coventry and Warwickshire, Tayside septorhinoplasty (reviewed August 2026), Tayside nose surgery aftercare (reviewed August 2026), Hull (2023).

The reasons the leaflets give are bleeding and congestion, not swelling. That is a difference from many websites, which blame hot water for swelling. I did not find a study showing that hot showers worsen swelling after rhinoplasty, so treat that claim as untested.

None of these four leaflets gives rules for facial skin care in the shower, such as how to wash your face or whether water may run over the nose. Hull’s leaflet says dressings must stay dry, which is why many teams give instructions on covering the splint. The decision belongs to your surgeon, who knows whether you have an external splint, tape or internal dressings.

How long should you wait before swimming?

Swimming is where leaflets are most cautious. Both NHS Tayside leaflets list swimming among things to avoid for 6 weeks, together with contact sports, being hit on the nose and clothing with tight necks. The Bath leaflet says contact sports should not be played for six weeks, until the nose has healed completely (Royal United Hospitals Bath). Coventry’s leaflet says contact sports should be avoided for at least 6 weeks, or as the consultant advises.

Outside rhinoplasty, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives a general rule for pools, hot tubs and open water. It says to stay out of the water if you have an open cut or wound, particularly from surgery or a piercing, and that if you do go in, waterproof bandages should completely cover the wound (CDC). The page does not give a healing date and is not specific to nose surgery. The NHS also lists going in the water among the things not to do while recovering after cosmetic surgery abroad (NHS, last reviewed December 2022).

If you are traveling for surgery, this matters, because many people plan to relax at a hotel pool or the sea. The NHS says flying is generally advised against for 7 to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures, and that it is unrealistic to have a holiday straight after surgery. For timing, see our guides on flying after a nose job and traveling after surgery.

Why do surgeons restrict steam and heat?

The reason in the Hull and Tayside leaflets is bleeding. Hull connects hot baths to bleeding in the first days, and Tayside says extremes of temperature can cause congestion in the nose and make it bleed. Neither leaflet gives a mechanism or a measured risk. Steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs are not named in the four leaflets I read, so I cannot say what the NHS advises about them. Ask your surgeon directly.

What about washing hair, face and the splint?

I found no NHS leaflet with a step-by-step method, and I will not invent one. Some practical questions are better answered by your team:

  • Is the splint waterproof, and may I get it wet?
  • How do you want me to wash my hair in the first week?
  • When may I wash my face normally?
  • When may I use a normal shower temperature?
  • When may water run directly over my nose?

Related topics are covered in our guides on cleaning your nose, the first weeks of aftercare, and sun protection.

What should you ask your surgeon?

  • When can I shower, and when can I take a bath?
  • How hot is too hot, and for how long?
  • When can I swim in a pool, the sea or a hot tub?
  • What should I do if the splint or dressing gets wet?
  • Will you give me these dates in writing, so that I can show a hotel or a local doctor?

Sources

All pages were opened and checked on 10 October 2026.