A cold or flu can collide with nose surgery in two ways. It can strike before you travel, when the question is whether to fly and operate. Or it can strike during recovery, when a blocked, sneezing nose runs into the rule not to blow it. This guide covers what official sources say about both, and what to ask your clinic. It does not advise on medicines; your surgical team decides that.
Key takeaways
- NHS hospital leaflets tell patients not to blow the nose for about the first week and to avoid people with colds for one to two weeks, which is hard to follow with flu.
- The UK Civil Aviation Authority says it is not advisable to fly with an ear, nose or sinus infection, and to delay a flight until a contagious illness has passed.
- Fever, worsening pain, discharge or trouble breathing are reasons to contact your surgical team or emergency services; I give no medicine advice.
How is flu different from a cold?
According to the NHS, flu symptoms are similar to a cold’s but tend to be more severe, appear within a few hours and affect more than the nose and throat. A cold appears gradually over one to two days and mainly affects the nose and throat. Flu can leave you exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal, and the NHS says it is very infectious, most likely to spread in the first five days. The US CDC says most people recover in a few days to less than two weeks. Because the two overlap, a test or a clinician’s opinion is the only way to tell them apart.
Why does catching one matter after rhinoplasty?
Hospital leaflets set rules that an illness makes hard to follow:
- Leaflets say not to blow your nose. The Royal Berkshire leaflet says not to blow your nose or pick crusts for the first week and to avoid sniffing or sneezing for two weeks, and to sneeze with your mouth open if you must.
- Leaflets say to avoid infection exposure. The same leaflet says to avoid people with colds or chest infections for two weeks while the nose heals, and Cambridge says to rest at home and avoid crowds, smoky places and people with coughs and colds.
- Leaflets expect a blocked nose anyway. Royal Berkshire says congestion lasts 2 to 3 weeks until internal swelling settles.
None of the leaflets I read has a section on catching flu during recovery. Whether your clinic wants a call, a review or a different plan is your surgeon’s decision, so ask in advance who to contact. For managing the nose itself, see our guide to cleaning the nose after rhinoplasty and to nosebleeds.
What if you are ill before you travel?
The UK Civil Aviation Authority says it is not advisable to fly with an infection of the ear, nose or sinuses because swelling can block normal airflow and cause pain or bleeding. For contagious illness such as flu, it says to delay your flight until you are no longer contagious, and that an airline may refuse to carry you.
So if you develop symptoms before departure, tell your clinic early. Ask what they require before operating, what happens to your deposit and booking if you postpone, and how much a changed flight and extra hotel nights cost. The budget guide includes a buffer for exactly this, and the best season for a nose job looks at timing. For flights after surgery, see flying after a nose job.
When should you get help?
Use your clinic’s emergency number first. Royal Berkshire’s leaflet lists a persistent excessive or smelly discharge, feeling feverish and unwell, or increasing pain that your painkillers do not relieve as reasons to contact the ENT team, because you may have an infection. A 2026 NHS leaflet hosted at pah.nhs.uk adds fever or signs of infection such as increasing pain, swelling, redness, warmth or discharge, bleeding that does not stop after 15 to 20 minutes of gentle pressure, and swelling around the eye or changes in vision.
For flu itself, the NHS says to get an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if you feel very unwell or short of breath, and to call 999 or go to A&E for sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing or coughing up blood. The CDC’s emergency warning signs include difficulty breathing, persistent chest or abdominal pain, confusion and seizures. Those are general rules for UK and US readers; abroad, ask your hotel or clinic for the local emergency number and a hospital address on day one.
What should you ask your surgeon?
- If I get a cold or flu in the week before surgery, will you still operate?
- If I get sick afterward, who do I call, and by what channel?
- Who decides whether I can take cold or flu products? I will not self-medicate without checking.
- What are your rules for postponement and refunds?
Sources
All pages were opened and checked in October 2026.
- NHS, Flu, page last reviewed 3 February 2026.
- US CDC, Flu signs and symptoms.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, Air travel and your health.
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Advice following nasal surgery (septorhinoplasty), August 2026.
- Cambridge University Hospitals, Information after septorhinoplasty.
- NHS leaflet hosted at pah.nhs.uk, After Nasal Surgery, July 2026.
