I use a nasal steroid spray on a regular basis and have recently undergone a rhinoplasty procedure. When can I restart my nasal spray?
I tell patients that they can restart their nasal steroid spray 2 weeks after a rhinoplasty and I recommend that they direct it toward the side of the nose and not toward the center of the nose so that they avoid drying out the nasal septum, which is toward the center. If they are having a significant amount of congestion after a rhinoplasty, my rhinoplasty patients are allowed to use Afrin nasal spray even in the first few days after surgery to try to decongest the nasal membranes and improve their ability to breathe through the nose. Due to the fact that I never place packing in the nose, never place splints in the nose, and typically make a small drainage site for any excess fluid to escape from the nasal septum, patients rarely have complete nasal obstruction after a rhinoplasty procedure. Nonetheless, if they are slightly congested, they can use Afrin early on and as I said, typically by 2 weeks I allow them to go ahead and use a nasal steroid spray directed toward the side of the nose.
