Can you explain what nasal packing is?

In years past, the nose was always packed with a gauze-like or tampon-like material to absorb any nasal bleeding after a rhinoplasty. More recently, the type of gauze-like substance has been refined into one that often can dissolve on its own or be much smaller. Even still, the use of nasal packing in general can be uncomfortable and unpleasant when removed the first postoperative day. That is why in the vast majority of rhinoplasties that I perform, all attempts are made to control bleeding during the surgery so packing is not needed. This allows for greater patient comfort and more rapid recovery. Rarely, patients will require the packing and it will almost always be removed the following day. Additionally, patients must abstain from strenuous activity immediately after their rhinoplasty to avoid nasal bleeding and the need for nasal packing insertion in the post-operative period.