Thank you for your question. Dr Annabelle has provided a good answer to your question. I just have the following points to add to your questions:
1. When is nose cautery required for nosebleeds, and what is the recovery like?
Nose cautery is performed if your nosebleeds are due to large or prominent blood vessels in the nose (usually on the front part of the nasal septum). When to perform nose cautery largely depends on how frequent and how severe (amount of bleeding) the nosebleed is.
In general, if the nosebleeds trouble you enough (e.g interferes with your quality of life, social life or work) then you should consider getting the large vessels cauterized (most often with SIlver nitrate sticks). This is a simple procedure done under local anaesthesia in the clinic. It takes just a few seconds to perform.
Some patients may feel a slight stinging sensation on the nose but most of the time, the procedure is painless. You can return home or to work after the procedure. After application of at the silver nitrate stick in the nose, a "grey scab" will form. It is important to wipe off the grey/white silver nitrate stains that may flow out of your nose as soon as you see or feel it.
Silver nitrate causes a permanent stain on the skin and it may take a week or two for the stains to disappear (when that part of the skin sheds). The scab in the nose takes a few weeks to slough off and the underlying wound would have healed in most people by 6 weeks.
It is also important to ensure that you do not have symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis (Sensitive nose) as this can also be a cause of your frequent nosebleeds.
2. What is the typical length of MC given?
In my practice, usually no more than 1 day's MC is given for this procedure. The procedure is quick, safe and simple to perform. You will also hardly feel any changes after the procedure apart from at most, a slight nose discomfort.
Hope this helps and all the best!
