After rhinoplasty the inside of the nose can crust, drip and feel blocked for a while, and many people worry about cleaning it. There is no single schedule. Published hospital leaflets and one trial on rinses give a partial picture, and none of it is an instruction for you.
Key takeaways
- Of four NHS hospital leaflets, those that cover it advise limiting nose blowing (Coventry, Ninewells, Hull) and Coventry and Hull warn against picking or poking the nose. Timing differs.
- Rules for blowing your nose range from 24 to 48 hours to 3 days to a week. The leaflet from your own surgical team is the one that applies to you.
- In common practice in Turkey, patients are told they can shower from day 3 and the splint must not get wet (editorial note, October 2026).
- A randomized trial after septoplasty found less crusting with hypertonic seawater than with plain saline or tap water. It is evidence from a related operation, not from rhinoplasty.
What do hospitals tell rhinoplasty patients?
Four leaflets from NHS hospitals in the UK describe the same general approach but differ on timing, which is a useful reminder that surgeons set their own rules.
| Topic | University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire | NHS Tayside (Ninewells) | Royal United Hospitals Bath | Hull University Teaching Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowing the nose | Avoid for 24 to 48 hours, then gently during the first week | Not for at least 3 days; if you must clear it, sniff and spit into a tissue | Not covered | “Do not pick, poke or blow your nose” (no time given) |
| Rinsing | Saline “douche” can help clear crusts; the leaflet starts it after 48 hours | Wash out the nose 2 to 3 times a day with salt water to clear crusts | Not covered | Not covered |
| Splint or dressing | Splint for a period set by the consultant | Removed about 7 to 14 days after surgery | Usually removed within 10 days | Plaster or splint for 7 to 10 days |
| Bruising and swelling | Settle in 2 to 3 weeks | Not covered | Mostly settle within 10 days | Bruising 2 to 3 weeks; swelling can take 6 to 12 months to settle |
Sources: Coventry and Warwickshire (updated November 2024), Ninewells (reviewed August 2026), Bath (December 2023), Hull (2023). These are examples of local practice, and the Ninewells leaflet covers several nose operations, not rhinoplasty alone.
How is the inside of the nose kept clean?
The leaflets that mention it describe salt water. Ninewells says to wash the nose out 2 to 3 times a day with a salt water solution, and that a nurse gives instructions before you go home. Coventry’s leaflet says regular saline douching can clear the nose of crusts and describes a home-made solution. The recipe in one leaflet is not a standard. In common practice in Turkey, saline spray is started from day 2 or 3 (editorial note, October 2026). Use what your team gives you, and ask whether they want a pharmacy spray, a bottle or a rinse.
The leaflets also say to leave the nostrils alone. Coventry warns against picking the nose or inserting cotton buds or tissues, because it could cause infection. Hull’s leaflet tells patients to avoid sprays, creams and perfumed products near the wounds, so check with your team which products are allowed where. Ninewells says that if you were given cream, it goes on after the salt water. If your surgeon fits a nostril retainer, ask how it should be cleaned.
The NHS leaflets cited here do not mention neti pots, humidifiers or petroleum jelly. Ask your surgeon before using anything the leaflet does not list.
Is there evidence that rinsing helps?
A little, from a related operation. In a 2018 randomized study of 120 patients after septoplasty with turbinate radiofrequency, four rinse solutions were compared: tap water, buffered isotonic saline, saline with xylitol, and hypertonic seawater. Mucociliary clearance (how fast the nose clears itself) did not differ between groups at 7 and 15 days. Crusting, dryness and obstruction were significantly lower with hypertonic seawater (Kurtaran and colleagues, PubMed). The authors recommend that solution for those operations.
This does not transfer neatly to rhinoplasty. The operation, the swelling and the splint are different, and your surgeon may prefer another product. It does suggest that what is in the rinse may matter, and it is a fair question for your team.
When can you blow your nose?
The leaflet range runs from 24 to 48 hours (Coventry, with gentle blowing in the first week) to 3 days (Ninewells), and Hull gives no end date. Ninewells explains that blowing pressure can make the nose bleed, and tells people who need to sneeze to keep the mouth wide open. The same health board’s separate septorhinoplasty leaflet says not to blow for about a week, which shows how much advice can vary even inside one organization (NHS Tayside). If you have read a longer figure elsewhere, such as several weeks, it may be one surgeon’s rule rather than a standard. Ask for your date in writing.
Some blood-stained discharge and a blocked nose are expected early on. Coventry’s leaflet says to expect them during the first week, and Ninewells says blood-colored watery fluid for the first 2 weeks or so is normal. The same leaflets list when to call. Coventry advises contacting the hospital if bleeding does not stop after 15 to 20 minutes of pressure; ask your surgeon for the threshold that applies to you. We cover the topic in more detail in nose bleeding after rhinoplasty. Your sense of smell can also be reduced for a while as swelling settles; see sense of smell after rhinoplasty.
What about the skin on the outside of the nose?
In common practice in Turkey, patients are told they can shower from day 3, and the splint must not get wet (editorial note, October 2026). The dates are the team’s to confirm in writing.
UK leaflets focus on keeping dressings clean, dry and in place (Hull) and on removing the splint in clinic. They do not give a face-washing routine. Many surgeons give their own instructions about keeping the splint dry and when to start gentle washing, so this is a question for your team. Our guides on bathing and showering after surgery, protecting your nose from the sun and the first weeks of aftercare cover related questions.
What should you ask your surgeon?
- Which rinse or spray should I use, how often, and from which day?
- What should I do if crusts will not come away?
- When can I blow my nose, and what do I do if I need to sneeze?
- May I use any cream or ointment in or around the nostrils?
- What amount of bleeding or discharge should make me call, and who do I call if I am back home abroad?
- Do you give written aftercare instructions I can keep?
Sources
All pages were opened and checked on 10 October 2026. The shower timing and dry-splint statements are an editorial note based on experience of the Turkish market, October 2026.
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Discharge advice after rhinoplasty: blowing, saline, bruising, bathing.
- NHS Tayside, Nose surgery aftercare, leaflet LN1072: blowing, salt water washes, splints, discharge.
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Rhinoplasty, December 2023: dressing, bruising.
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Rhinoplasty discharge advice: blowing, dressings, splint.
- Kurtaran H and colleagues, Effect of different nasal irrigation solutions following septoplasty and concha radiofrequency, Braz J Otorhinolaryngol, 2018 (abstract).
