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Can Overly Wide Nose Bridge from Injury Be Thinned?

asked 2 years ago by Sean111 in New York
Latest answer by Jon F. Harrell, DO
Question viewed 1,296 times
Tags: bridge, nose, crooked, cartilage, straighten, thin

I broke my nose before and it healed wrongly. There is a lot of excess cartilage in the bridge now, making it wider. Also, the bone is a little off center. Can the cartilage be shaved or cut off and the bone straightened back into position? How would this procedure be done?

16 answers to Can Overly Wide Nose Bridge from Injury Be Thinned?

Post-Traumatic Nasal Deformity

The problems you describe are common after nasal trauma. Bone and cartilage can be repositioned or quantities altered with rhinoplasty surgery. A good rhinoplasty surgeon will evaluate your deformity and recommend alternative approaches depending on the physical findings and your desires.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Trauma to your nose

There are very few things that a good rhinoplasty surgeon can not help you with. It is important to have your expectations in line with what changes to your nose you have discussed with your surgeon. Narrowing the bridge is a standard procedure in rhinoplasty but, only after a thorough physical examination by a qualified surgeon will you know how much narrowing to expect and what techniques will be necessary in order to accomplish this goal. Your prior trauma may make things a little more... more

Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgeon

Can Nasal Bones be Thinned?

Your situation is actually quite common. The bridge can be reduced, the nasal bones repositioned and your overall appearance improved. Another issue you may have is a septal deviation which is a malposition of the bone and cartilage that separate the two nostrils. This can contribute to the deviation of the external nose as well. All this can be performed through several small incisions hiddent inside the nasal chamber. There are specialized instruments to reduce the bridge and narrow... more

Jon F. Harrell, DO
Miami Plastic Surgeon

www.westonsurgery.com

Rhinoplasty to narrow a wide nose bridge

Yes, the nasal bones can be narrowed but not thinned. Once a hump is removed the nasal bones themselves can be narrowed and straightened through both medial and lateral osteotomies to straighten and narrow the pyramid of the nose. This is also known as re-breaking the nasal bones. Both have to be straightened back into position since it took a lot of force to get them out of place. This is done through a rhinoplasty usually under general anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, and takes... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Wide bridge

Hello, It is possible to perform osteotomies which will narrow your nasal bones and enable them to be straightened. Excess cartilage may be shaved down as well. I would really need to see photos to give you the best advice. Thank you and best of luck. Dr. Nassif

Paul S. Nassif, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Traumatic nasal deformity: correcting a broken nose or nasal fracture.

As stated by my colleagues, there are many techniques available for correction of traumatic nasal deformity. However, it may not be realistic to expect a perfectly straight nose. In some instances the best result is obtained by using a camouflage graft to conceal the irregularity

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Trauma to the Nose

The injury described sounds like a combination fracture of the nasal bones and nasal septum. Trauma to the nasal bones can lead to new bone production, creating a widened hump on the top of the nose. The off-center portion of your nose sounds like a combination of nasal bones shifting and a fracture to the septum (interior middle nasal wall ) during your injury. These injuries can very likely be repaired with a septorhinoplasty which will address the internal factors (nasal septum) and... more

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

Rhinoplasty Surgery may narrow the bridge of your nose.

If your nose is wide and crooked after trauma, Rhinoplasty Surgery may be beneficial. You should consult a few board-certified, experienced Rhinoplasty specialists to get an idea of what's feasible. I always do computer imaging so you can have an idea of what to expect after your Rhinoplasty. I've attached a link to my Rhinoplasty photos for your perusal. I hope this is helpful for you.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.ericmjoseph.com

Rhinoplasty

Hi Sean, In my opinion, it is best to repair your deformity through an open rhinoplasty approach. The open rhinoplasty approach allow the surgeon to visualize the bone and cartilage directly making it easier to fix bony and cartilagenous abnormalities. Most nasal fractures can be repaired to provide better breathing and improved appearance. Best, Dr.S

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Improving a wide nose

Well, without examining you it would be difficult to say. However, wide noses can usually be treated very easily. If the bones are wide from fracture, the bones can be fractured to narrow them. Cartilage can also be modified to improve the appearance as well.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Injured nose can be thinned with rhinoplasty.

Hi! Many rhinoplasties are done to correct deformities after injury. The details vary with the individual anatomy, but the nose can be straightened and narrowed. Cartilage grafts from your nasal septum may be needed, and any breathing problems can be corrected at the same time.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

See a rhinoplasty specialist.

The correction of your problem will probably require the bones to be refractured into the center and obtain a straight nose. Any bump can be shaved at the same time.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

See the right doctor

It sounds as if you need a correction of a traumatic injury. This is something that an experienced nose surgeon can do and should be able to explain to you what the result would look like.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty for the Traumatized Nose (Nasal Fracture Repair)

Hi Sean, Corrective rhinoplasty after nasal trauma is a common surgery. Consult with an experienced and skilled rhinoplasty surgeon. After your examination, the surgeon will discuss with you the best way to achieve results that will satisfy you. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Correcting a poorly healed nose bridge

Almost any nose can be corrected by a trained rhinoplasty surgeon. Rather than guessing and bickering on which exact surgical techniques COULD BE used in your particular case you would do best by seeking out several good rhinoplasty surgeons and see what they propose. New York has MANY great nose surgeons. I would suggest you start by seeing Dr. Anthony Sclafani, Professor of Otolaryngology, Director, Division of Facial Plastic Surgery New York Eye and Ear Hospital. Good Luck. more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Rhinoplasty for traumatic deformity

There are many fine rhinoplasty surgeons in NY an you should seek their advice to address specifically what you want based on your particular anatomy. Generally, though, it is possible to shave bumps, remove excess cartilage and bone, and fracture the bones to narrow and balance them. Your breathing should also be evaluated because the injury might have narrowed one side. This could be repaired at the same time.