When is It Safe to Start Swimming in A Pool After Nose Aesthetic Surgery?
May be a bit of a sad article for our patients who love to enter the pool and swim. During rhinoplasty operations, varying degrees of injury to the mucous membrane in the nose and various incisions are made in the nose. In other words, in the nose job operation, it is not just outside the nose; It is also touched inside the nose. It would not be correct to see it as just a simple shape change process, and what should be considered in this regard is that you have to wait for a long time for the inside of the nose to come into contact with water, such as "Public Pool", in which different microorganisms can be found. Maybe when you look, you can see that the water in many pools is clear, clean and bright. You may think that pool water is much cleaner and clearer than a sea water. However, keep in mind that many pools are made this way using only chlorine and clarifying chemicals. In addition to the risk of contagion of different microorganisms that mix into the water from the body of many people entering the Public Pool, in particular; Microorganisms that are likely to grow in stagnant waters and are resistant to antiseptic and antimicrobial products can also cause infections. It is very important that the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes is intact in people who enter the pool waters. It is important that people who have undergone surgery and have skin or mucous membrane damage do not enter the pool water until healing is complete. So, is it safer if it is a pool whose water is changed daily? Yes, in this case, it is possible to enter the pools, whose water is constantly changed in this way, after the 3rd week after rhinoplasty, to swim, by thinking like city water supply. However, you have to wait much longer to swim in the crowded ponds that are disinfected with conventional chlorine and in which many people swim.
How soon can you go swimming after rhinoplasty?
After primary rhinoplasty operations, the intranasal mucosa is completely healed, usually within 2-4 months. This period may be longer in revision rhinoplasty operations. So it is appropriate to wait for a long time for the pool water. Sometimes, I recommend not to enter the pool for 6 months after complicated revision rhinoplasty operations in which we place additional cartilage grafts. Sea waters are suitable for swimming after the 3rd week after rhinoplasty operation, especially in regions with blue flag feature in Turkey. Please do not go swimming in the pool waters early without consulting your doctor. Again, the ocean waters are the same, remember that we recommend sprays containing natural sterile ocean water for nasal care after rhinoplasty and other nose surgeries. In other words, the minerals in sea sleep and ocean waters are beneficial for intranasal mucosal healing. I have added a few videos from youtube that include the side effects of pool water and the harmful health effects of chlorine below:
Outbreaks caused by bacteria and viruses have also been associated with diarrhoea, rash diseases, and swimmer's ear, Legionnaires' disease, and Pontiac fever (Crypto, Other Dangers Abound Around the Pool - WebMD).
A 2013 study published by the CDC found that 58% of pools tested tested positive for bacteria typically found in fecal matter😥 (Press Release | CDC study finds fecal contamination in pools).
A useful link on this topic prepared by the CDC is "Guidance for Public Pools, Hot Tubs, and Water Playgrounds During COVID-19"
Please do not ignore the possibility that viruses, bacteria, fungi and single-celled parasites that can be found in the swimming pool can cause infection in the incision areas and damaged mucous membranes in the nose. If you live close to the ocean and the sea, you can start swimming after 3 weeks after consulting your doctor. It will not be appropriate to be exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet rays in the early period after the rhinoplasty operation, and it is appropriate to consult your doctor about this.
Toxic effects on the nasal mucosa and irritant effects on the respiratory tract mucosa have been emphasized before, due to the chlorine exposure of people entering the indoor swimming pool and the pool workers. It has been scientifically emphasized that indoor pool workers show severe rhinitis and eosinophilic nasal cytology symptoms, possibly due to chlorine (Effects of indoor swimming pools on the nasal cytology of pool workers).
Murat Enoz, MD, Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgeon
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Address: İncirli Cad. No:41, Kat:4 (Dilek Patisserie Building), Postal code: 34147, Bakırköy - İstanbul
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Appointment Phone: +90 212 561 00 52
Fax: +90 212 542 74 47
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