KOWON Blog
If your nose smells after rhinoplasty — the check order when pus·inflammation is suspected
If an unpleasant smell and yellow discharge come from inside your nose two weeks after rhinoplasty — why it's hard to judge from appearance alone including inflammation possibility, and why you should contact your surgical clinic quickly, organized from a consultation case.
Key points
- If an unpleasant smell comes from inside your nose with yellow discharge after rhinoplasty, there's an inflammation possibility.
- Still, from symptom description alone it's hard to pinpoint exactly where the problem arose — because the visible signal and the causal site can differ.
- If not long since surgery, contacting your surgical clinic as soon as possible to report your state and visit for examination is advisable.
"My nose smells after rhinoplasty. Is it pus?"
Someone who had nose and eye surgery together contacted us worried the unpleasant smell inside their nose might mean pus. Based on that consultation, this article organizes what to check — and in what order — when post-surgery nasal smell·discharge occurs.
01
What was the situation?
The questioner's course, organized chronologically, is as follows.
| Timing | Situation |
|---|---|
| Two weeks prior | Bridge surgery, alarplasty using ear cartilage, and double-eyelid surgery done together |
| From day 2 post-op | An unpleasant smell running down the throat began |
| Around day 4 | Eye swelling mostly gone, no bruising |
| After stitch removal | After removing nasal gauze, yellow-green mixed discharge appeared |
| The following week | Fluid drained from the bridge, antibiotic injection and oral medication — bridge improved |
| Currently | Discharge — unclear if mucus or pus — won't stop; nose blocked when sleeping |
The bridge-side problem improved with drainage and antibiotics — but the smell and discharge kept continuing.
02
Why is the smell and discharge hard to self-judge?
From the questioner's account alone, it's hard to say exactly where the problem arose. The signal of smell and discharge may be the same, but the causal site and state can differ — and this is a problem distinguishable only by examining the nose directly, not through writing or phone description.
Some people wait it out on antibiotics assuming a cold. But if there's a smell inside the nose and it seems like pus, there's an inflammation possibility — so confirmation comes before enduring and waiting.
03
So what should you do?
If foul smell and yellow·greenish discharge persist within two weeks of surgery and drainage·antibiotic treatment has already been given, the surgical clinic must be informed the same day.
- 01Call the surgical clinic right away and describe your current state (discharge smell·color and amount, when it started, medication being taken).
- 02Confirm a same-day in-person exam slot. If unreachable, or if systemic symptoms or rapidly worsening pain·swelling exist, get an emergency evaluation at another medical facility.
The place knowing the surgical site's state most accurately is the clinic that performed it. Which post-surgery courses are within normal range and which signals need checking can also be seen in the rhinoplasty recovery guide.
04
Summary — the vaguer the signal, the sooner you confirm
Post-surgery foul smell and persistent yellow·greenish discharge can't have their cause distinguished by description alone. Especially if it continues even after drainage·antibiotic treatment, contact the surgical clinic the same day for direct confirmation rather than waiting.
If you have questions about your post-surgery course, it can be confirmed in a 1:1 video consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions patients ask before a consultation.
It can't be concluded from symptom description alone. Still, if yellow discharge comes with an unpleasant smell, inflammation is possible — so getting examined directly at the surgical clinic to identify the causal site is advisable.
In this case too, antibiotic injection and oral medication improved the bridge but the discharge didn't stop. If symptoms persist even while medicated, that fact itself is a signal needing confirmation — so informing the surgical clinic and visiting for examination is the order.
If not long since surgery, visiting the surgical clinic first is advisable — they're equipped with the most accurate information about what was done, materials used, and intraoperative state for judging the current condition.
Responses to treatment and recovery progress vary by individual. Outcomes and side effects vary from person to person. Bleeding, infection, swelling and asymmetry may occur. Please consult our medical team before making a decision.
Consultation