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

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6 answers to “Hard bumps on nose after rhinoplasty”

A: Rhinoplasty recovery

Steven Wallach, MD

Post-Rhinoplasty is a waiting game. Once the splint is removed, swelling ensues and may change the appearance of the nose. Be patient and you have to give it some time.  I would wait 6-12 months before making a decision about doing anything else.

A: Rhinoplasty results can test your patience

Robert M. Freund, MD

The bumps you describe sound like swelling in the area where the bones are broken to achieve the desired result. The swelling in a rhinoplasty can be slow in resolving. My advice is to ignore your friends and relax.

A: Bumps on the Nose Five Weeks After Rhinoplasty

Michael A. Persky, MD

Hi Nancy, Only your surgeon knows for sure.  It sounds as if there is a "step-off" in the area of the upper osteotomies, higher on your right than left.  When the nasal bones are incised to narrow the upper third of the nose, there is sometimes a palpable and noticeable area of swelling... more

A: Mild asymmetries are common.

Manish H. Shah, MD

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... more

A: Recovery after Rhinoplasty: Swelling, Edema, Bruising, Assymetry

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Rhinoplasty requires aesthetic and technical prowess to acheive perfect results.  In the early postoperative period, edema sets in the nasal skin and subcutaneous tissue and can obscure the actual results of the soft tissue.  It is customary to wait one year after rhinoplasty, when the swelling has... more

A: Work with your Surgeon & Time

Kamran Jafri, MD

Hi Nancy, Recovering from Rhinoplasty surgery can be a difficult and frustrating time for Patients and Physicians. Due to the complex anatomy of the nose and the extensive nature of surgery (bone is broken, cartilage removed, etc) the healing time is indeed close to a year. During this time as scar tissue... more

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Comments

AndreaMasch
1 post
22 Jan 2009

is it true that bone actually swells? i developed a bump after my rhinoplasty and the doctor said it was swelling of the nasal bone, people tell me bone does not swell and i'm a little confused, and mi tip looks very round, it makes it look droppy, he said the tip will "define more" with time, i don't know what this means, is it going to look a little more propper or is it going to stay like this droppy look? im doing massages with a little of pressure on the hump, he said it was good but it started to feel more sensitive than ever, not even the first day of the surgery it was this sensitive and kind of "hurted". I would very much appreciate if you could solve my doubts, i really don't know if to trust my doctor or not.

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