You should not undergo any nose surgery if you have the flu.
Swelling of the nasal passages or nasal drip, both of which can lead to an upper respiratory tract or lung infection can cause complications with your procedure. Rhinoplasty or nose surgery is an elective surgery and it should be postponed until you feel better.
Recovering from Rhinoplasty but have the flu? Here's what you can do
It is normal to feel congested after your rhinoplasty, especially if you have undergone a septoplasty or turbinoplasty.
However, you would want to resist the urge to sneeze through your nose for the first 2 weeks. Here are some measures that I routinely advise my patients and they have fed back to me that it helps:
Use of antihistamines eg. Clarinase to reduce nasal discharge. Especially useful for patients with allergic rhinitis.
Try not to blow your nose for 2 weeks after the surgery as this may disrupt healing or cause bleeding.
If you have to sneeze, try it with your mouth open to reduce and disturbance with the nose
If need be, you may pinch the lower part of your nose, if there are no incisions made on the alar bases.
Do check in with your surgeon early to ensure that there are no other complications during this period.
You may be swollen for a bit longer and your healing may take a bit longer but this should not affect the structural changes made to your nose or to your overall healing. Do follow-up with your family doctor or your surgeon to ensure that you recover from the flu. Keep hydrated and remember to take lots of fruits and vegetables.
Hope this answers your question.
Have a great weekend ahead!
Best Regards,
Dr. Terence Goh
Plastic Surgeon | AZATACA Plastic Surgery
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital #06-48
Mount Elizabeth Orchard Hospital #15-11
Visiting Consultant | Singapore General Hospital
Department of Plastic Surgery, SGH
