Rhinoplasty can correct numerous cosmetic nose issues. It can narrow or widen nostrils, modify bridge angle and reshape tip to name but a few.
Any surgical procedure poses the possibility of harming deeper structures, including nerves. This damage could be temporary or permanent and even life threatening.
Causes
The nose is an intricate structure, taking time and care to recover after surgery. Unfortunately, its healing can sometimes be interrupted by external factors that have an adverse effect on nerves causing facial and nasal numbness; many temporary problems will resolve themselves as the nose heals itself while some more serious ones require additional treatments in order to return normal sensation.
Swelling and crusting of the nose’s interior area is one of the most frequently experienced side effects from nasal surgery, posing serious breathing difficulties that may require further surgical procedures to resolve.
An equally common issue is a scooped-out bridge, caused by the use of an osteotome or chisel by cosmetic surgeons during surgery and overremoval of bone material. Revision rhinoplasty must then be performed in order to restore both function and aesthetics.
Numbness in the nose can also be caused by anxiety, hyperventilation, electrolyte imbalances, frostnip or frostbite and injury to the area. Excessive nervousness or stress may lead to hyperventilation causing lower carbon dioxide levels in your body which causes numbness in fingers, nose and mouth resulting in neuropathic pain – often as a result of nerve damage.
Cold temperatures can force the body to reduce blood circulation to peripheral areas like the nose and hands in order to conserve warmth for essential organs, leading to numbness and tingling sensations in these regions. Other possible sources of discomfort may include exposure to chemicals or radiation exposure; certain medications (calcium channel blockers); or autoimmune issues like multiple sclerosis or trigeminal neuralgia.
To reduce the chance of post-rhinoplasty numbness, it’s essential to stay away from activities that will strain or irritate the area during healing. This may include refraining from sports like basketball and football as well as keeping your nose covered when exposed to sudden cold temperatures, being mindful not to touch or bump it and taking any prescribed antibiotics/pain medications as directed – this includes not stopping them early!
Treatment
After nasal surgery, most people’s noses recover naturally within months; if it persists beyond that point, however, various treatments are available to address its cause.
Medication: Antidepressants, calcium channel blockers and tricyclic antidepressants can all help relieve nerve damage-induced numbness through taking oral or subcutaneous doses of these drugs. These injections or pills can be taken by mouth.
Nerve tests: Your neurologist will conduct a detailed examination to ascertain which and how many nerves are affected, as well as ordering CT or MRI scans to get a closer look.
Exercise: Regular physical activity increases blood flow to your face and can help numbness go away on its own. Furthermore, regular workouts can prevent swelling and bruising following surgery.
Irrigation: Nasal irrigation should begin the day following your procedure and can be performed up to four times each day, using distilled water instead of tap water for this task.
Ice: Apply ice packs regularly after surgery to your nose and cheeks in order to reduce inflammation and pain, helping with recovery and healing. Do this for at least the first three days postoperatively.
Keep a Symptom Diary: Document your symptoms and record any dates, times and triggers that make them worse; this information will assist your physician in diagnosing the source.
Steroids: Steroids may help control inflammation that’s contributing to your symptoms and can even be used to decrease numbness caused by nerve damage or scarring from previous surgery.
Revision rhinoplasty can be performed to address damage from an earlier surgery that has caused your numbness, including reconstructing bridges if necessary and shaping bone and cartilage to address cosmetic concerns. Procedure details vary for each individual; typically bone and cartilage will be reshaped or removed to address cosmetic needs; cartilage from other areas of the body may even be utilized if necessary for reconstruction. It should take around one year before your bridge fully heals before your symptoms will completely subside;
Symptoms
Though most cases of post-nasal surgery numbness are temporary, in some instances it can last longer. Patients must take extra care when caring for their nose while it heals to ensure it doesn’t accidentally get injured; this means avoiding activities like contact sports as well as applying lotion to it carefully and washing their hands after applying lotion to it. It may be useful to place a drip pad under their nose to absorb drainage for several days post surgery; keep this clean and change as required.
Nerves may become numb following surgery when they become compressed or stretched out of their usual positions due to swelling or anesthesia used during surgery. Numbness can also occur as a result of injury that cuts directly through nerves; for instance, a severe cut could cut through one that runs down one leg and make the area beneath it feel numb.
Numbness in the nose can be an early warning sign of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease in which your body attacks its own nerves. Other possible causes may include neuropathy caused by diabetes and other diseases; or compression caused by tumors, infections and injuries.
Numbness in the nose can result from injuries caused by accidents or illness such as influenza. It may also be a side effect of certain medications like antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs and blood thinners; in rare cases it could even be an indicator of Parkinson’s disease or cerebral palsy.
If the cause of nasal numbness is nerve inflammation, your doctor may recommend steroids in pill form or via nasal instillation to alleviate its symptoms. Sometimes a CT scan or MRI may also be ordered in order to better examine your nasal passages and nerve connections.
Prevention
Nerves send sensations such as pain and touch from organs such as your skin and nose back to the brain for processing, but issues with nerve function can result in numbness or other physical sensations that limit its reach.
Cold Weather: To conserve warmth for vital organs, your body reroutes blood from extremities back into vital organs causing small blood vessels in your hands, feet and nose to constrict, often leaving them numb – but usually this sensation subsides after your body absorbs some or all of this blood back into circulation.
Medical procedures: Selected facial and sinus procedures such as rhinoplasty, Mohs surgery to remove cancerous tissue, and some sinus surgeries can result in nerve damage which causes numbness. Examples include rhinoplasty and other similar surgeries as well as some sinus operations.
Anxiety: Hyperventilation can dramatically lower oxygen levels in your blood, leading to numbness and tingling in certain parts of your body, such as your nose.
Numbness in the nose is a common side effect of nasal surgery; however, it may also signal more serious conditions, including multiple sclerosis or infection; tumor growth or compression from surrounding structures within the nose may also contribute. Maintaining a symptom diary to document triggers, frequency and other symptoms will help physicians diagnose what is causing your numbness; treatment options might include antidepressants or calcium channel blockers as well as having your nose examined with an MRI machine for better evaluation of its nerves.
