Can I Wear Snow Goggles After A Rhinoplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, it’s been almost one year since my rhinoplasty. Today I wore snow goggles for about an hour and now I have a red small bump on the bridge of my nose. I’m pretty concerned. I iced it for a bit and it hasn’t gone down. Is there anything else I can do? I don’t want to ruin your beautiful nose work. Thanks!

A: Being a year after a rhinoplasty with hump reduction and osteotomies, your nose should be sufficiently healed to handle any type of eyewear. It is not possible that snow googles would cause any change in the underlying nose structures. It is important to realize that snow googles press on a broader area of the nose than regular glasses and thus cause more pressure. I would suspect that by tomorrow or even later today the red area on the nose will be gone. It may be a year after your rhinoplasty but your nose skin is probably a bit sensitive still. So the pressure from large snow goggles may cause the temporary skin deformity that you are seeing.