How is a rhinoplasty performed? January 25, 2023 Before your rhinoplasty Houston practitioner will administer either general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. The surgeon makes incisions inside the nose or across the tissue that separates the nostrils depending on the nature of the specific surgery. They sculpt the structure of the nose to the proper shape, drape skin and tissue back over, and close the incisions. The surgeon uses splints and tubes to support the nose during the healing process and we generally remove these after a week. The swelling will come and go for several weeks, and a majority of the swelling will go down about 2 months after the nose job.