Mild asymmetries are common.

Manish H. Shah, MD answers: Hard bumps on nose after rhinoplasty

I am five weeks post open rhinoplasty. I had a tension nose with a pronounced hump and droopy tip. Everything has gone very well, and I was extremely pleased upon removal of the cast, splints, etc... At that time, my hump was gone, the front and sides of my nose were very smooth, and my tip no longer drooped.

However, over the last couple of weeks I have developed bumps on both sides of my nose - on the right side just next to my eye, and on the left side a little lower than my eye. The bump on the left is fairly significant and hard. It makes my nose look crooked - similar to Owen Wilson's nose. I realize that it can take up to a year to achieve final results.

My surgeon has been great, but his response to my bumps is 'we will just wait and see'. However, I need to know if this is common and how likely these bumps are to go away. People are even starting to comment that my nose looks crooked.

Please share your experiences with me, so that I have some idea of what I am dealing with. Is this likely part of the healing process, or should I be concerned?

Thank you,

Nancy


Manish H. Shah, MD
11 months ago
By Manish H. Shah, MD - Denver Plastic Surgeon

Dear Nancy,

As you are very early in the recovery period, your surgeon is right to say "Let's wait and see."  Hard bumps can be caused by many things.  The most common problem is swelling.  With time and gently massage, this will go away.  Less commonly, asymmetric bone breaks (osteotomies) used to narrow the nose can leave a small piece of bone jutting out known as a rocker deformity.  If your surgeon used a perforation method to fracture the nasal bones, it can come out less than smoothly.  Small bone shavings or cartilage trimmings that were inadvertantly left in place can solidify and cause problems.  You will need to let the soft-tissue healing process work itself out.  If the hard bumps remain, then you will need a minor revision to improve them.  Just work closely with your surgeon and be open to his/her doubts until the final product is known.  Good luck.

Dr. Shah

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