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How Does a Dorsal Hump Usually Reduced?

I've been considering getting a Rhinoplasty to fix the hump on my nose, but I was wondering, what exactly does the surgeon do to correct this? I've been looking up on dorsal hump reductions and I am not quite sure what open and closed Rhinoplasty's are, as well as the term "breaking the bones." What I want to know is: what would the surgeon do to correct this. I have included my photo for your reference.

Asked 33 months ago by in maryland in baltimore, Maryland
Sort 13 expert answers by:
+1

Don't try to figure this out!

 You can't win by trying to learn what a plastic surgeon uses to remove a hump, etc. Pick an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon whose photos of patients you like. Make sure that they have the same kind of nose that you do.  
Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Rhinoplasty for Removal of a Dorsal Hump

The appearance of a dorsal hump (hump on bridge of the nose) is created by the interplay of several factors: the contour (profile) of the bridge, amount of tip projection, and the depth of the radix (deepest portion of the nose between the nose. The bridge profile contributes most to the appearance of a dorsal hump. The bridge - and most dorsal humps - is made up of cartilage (lower half) and bone (upper half). Thus, to correct a dorsal hump, the cartilage and bone must be lowered to... more
C. Spencer Cochran, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Hump would be removed and nasal bones narrowed

The hump of the nose is composed of bone on top and cartilage in the mid portion of the nose. The tip can also contribute to a portion of the lower third of the nose. The hump is removed with scissors and knife, sculpted to a normal anatomical position, and filed smooth. Then osteotomies are made in the nasal bones, and the nasal bones are narrowed to close the open roof, which is created by removing a large hump. If the nasal bones are not narrowed, then open roof and flat top... more
William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Dorsal hump reduction rhinoplasty

Thanks for the picture! This is a great reference to help you with your question. Hump reduction in rhinoplasty, especially in your case, it not as simple as it seems. Think of the top portion of the nose as being a pyramid, with the hump being at the top. If you go in and simply shave off the top of the pyramid, you will be left with something called and open roof deformity. This will make the nose look flat. In order to prevent this, the roof needs to be closed. This requires... more
Henry Daniel Sandel IV, MD
Annapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Dorsal hump reduction is done through bone and cartilage reduction

Hi, rhinoplasty is a complex surgery, but hopefully this will help. The hump on the top of your nose is made of both cartilage and bone. During surgery, the cartilage is usually reduced with a knife, and the bone is reduced by filing or actually cutting it with a chisel-like instrument. After this is done, the bones are very commonly broken on the sides to reduce the width of the nose and close the defect left by reducing that dorsal hump. This is called an osteotomy. An open... more
Nina S. Naidu, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

My 2 cents

You will need to have the hump rasped or filed down. In addition, you have what appears to be a low "take off", meaning that the nose is low at the forehead end. I would guess that you will need a cartilage graft. Breaking the bones (aka, osteotomy) is done with a mallet and surgical chisel, under controlled conditions. Hope this helps. sek
Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+1

Rhinoplasty is a complex surgery

Rhinoplasty is a complex surgery and trying to isolate just one component (hump reduction) is difficult without knowing all of the involved dynamics and anatomy. However, your surgery can be performed either open (making an incision on your columella) or closed (making the incisions only inside your nose). A rasp and/or chisel instrument is then used to remove the hump. However, hump reduction it is often necessary to break the bones and push them together to fill in the open area... more
David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Reduction of a hump is a common part of rhinoplasty

The most common request in nasal shaping or rhinoplasty is removing the appearance of the hump on the nose. Patients with a strong nasal hump often exhibit the most dramatic improvement after rhinoplasty and websites are filled with examples. The hump or bridge of the nose is comprised if a short bony part, and a larger part which is cartilage. There are many techniques to shape and cut the cartilage and the bone to fit the goal of surgery. We don't like to think of these cuts as breaking... more
Peter E. Johnson, MD
Des Plaines Plastic Surgeon
+1

Bump is addressed with Cartilage and bone reduction

Agree that your nasal tip is weakly projected which makes the bridge appear more prominent.  Methods to improve this must address increasing your tip projection.  The bump is usually dealt with by rasping or partially cutting through the bone or cartliage.
Richard Gentile, MD
Cleveland Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

The nasal hump is actually not your main problem.

Hi! You have two other problems that make the hump look much larger than it really is. 1) The bone up on your nose between your eyes (called the nasion) is quite low. 2) The tip of your nose is quite low and does not stick up from your face (you lack "tip projection"). If these two areas are raised with cartilage grafts, your "hump" would practically go away, and it would need MINIMAL lowering to give you a straight profile. If the two other areas are not corrected,... more
George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Nose Job: how do you remove the hump???

There are many options when it comes to rhinoplasty and surgeons have many differing opinions as to how this is best accomplished: Some remove it in one piece Some remove it in two pieces (cartilage and bone) Some use a manual saw Some us a power saw Some use a rasp Some use a power rasp Some use a power burr Some remove it, modify it and put it back as a smaller piece Some remove it, leaving an opening that is closed by bringing the side walls together Some place a graft to smooth and act... more
Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Hump Removal

First the surgeon that you should find should be very experienced in Rhinoplasty. Be sure and look at their web site and make sure that you see lots of before and after pictures. The best Rhinoplasty Surgeons have done over 1000 procedures as experience is definitely the best teacher. Additionally the best Rhinoplasty surgeons that I know are either Facial Plastic Surgery specialists or Plastic Surgeons who limit their practices to the face and nose. So be very selective! As far as hump... more
S. Randolph Waldman, MD
Lexington Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

You need a rhinoplasty.

You need to pick an experienced plastic surgeon to do this. It will be done with your either deeply sedated or asleep, weather we chisel off the bone or rasp it down is not important from your point of view. You might even need the bones broken, but unless you want to try this yourself, why are the details important? Seek out an experienced plastic surgeon and they will explain the procedure to you.
William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon
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