African American Rhinoplasty: Q&A

Ask a Question

Can a Wide Dorsal Part Be Slimmed Down by Shaving It Down Without Breaking the Bone?

I'm African-American and thinking of getting rhinoplasty. I have a slightly wide bridge and a slight hump on my nose, which I hate. I want to slim the bridge part of my nose without tip work, but i also dont want to have my nose broken to slim it. Is it possible to just shave down the bridge part of my nose without breaking the bone (osteomy), and still make it look natural? And if the bone is broken, will it ever heal enough to become as strong as it was before the surgery?

Tags:

Comment on this

15 Doctor Answers | Asked by Poetry in Washington, DC

Doctor Answers (15)
Community Comments (0)

African American Rhinoplasty

Hi, Yes you can sheave down your hump without osteotomies. This will bring down your bridge but it will still be wide. If you have osteotomies, this will narrow your bridge. Yes, over 3 to 6 months the bone will heal and be as strong as before. You may also want to consider a small implant to narrow the bridge. I have a website dedicated to African American rhinoplasty below. My surgical techniques are described as well as many before and afters. Best, Dr.S. more

You would likely require osteotomies during Rhinoplasty Surgery if you would like to have the bump on your bridge removed.

I read your concern. If you have your profile-bump filed down, the appearance of your nose on your frontal view may widen. To reduce this, osteotomies following hump removal is typically performed. I hope this is helpful for you. Regards from NJ. see video

Eric M. Joseph, MD

196 reviews

West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.ericmjoseph.com

Narrowing nasal bridge and improving nasal bump

Yes, a bump on the bridge can be shaved down without doing bone breaking. This would probably give the effect of widening your bridge, if anything, though. Concurrent controlled bone fractures to narrow the bones can help with narrowing the appearance of the nose from the frontal view. Performing these osteotomies doesn't usually change much in the way of recovery. There's a greater chance of having bruising after surgery as a result, though the pain and swelling are much... more

Slim nose during Rhinoplasty may require osteotomies

I have performed Rhinoplasty for over 20 years and things are never as simple as they may seem. The bridge can be narrowed by rasping the sides, of the nasal bones or by lateral osteotomies (breaking the bosnes) with the osteotomies capable of moving the bones more than rasping can achieve. Removing the dorsal hump, is another story. Because the bones sit on the face as a hollow pyramid, the nasal bones are only a couple mm's thick. That means, if your... more

Shaving v. breaking the hump

Often times reducing the hump leaves a wider appearing nose with a central plateau, this may even have an indentation or irregularity known as an "open roof". osteotomies or a controlled break along the side of the nose allows for two things, 1. narrows the bridge and 2. closes an open roof. so don't worry about the osteotomy weakening your nose, it will be plenty strong after 2-3 months.

Rhinoplasty Procedure

Rhinoplasty is a complex procedure and is not a simple as "shaving off" the unwanted areas. Attention must be paid to the underlying anatomy and the support and structure of the nose. In minor cases, the dorsum can be lowered by shaving alone. However, you need to be careful since that can actually make the nose appear wider if the osteotomy is not also performed. Additionally, if much bone is shaved, then you may be left with an open roof deformity if the... more

Can Nose be Reduced without breaking the bones?

There is a small group of patients who can get a modest reduction in the bump located on the bridge of their nose without necessarily fracturing the nose. For most patients however, this maneuver widens the bridge of the nose and fracturing of the nose allows the bridge to be narrowed in an aesthetic fashion. Rasping has limited ability to narrow the bridge in my opinion. Nasal strength will return close to preoperative levels relatively quickly after surgery. An experienced nasal surgeon... more

Shaving Down Dorsal without Breaking Bones

Sometimes, but if a lot of the widened dorsum is to be removed, usually osteotomies will be indicated.

Narrowing wide nasal bridge without breaking the bone

It is impossible to narrow the nasal bridge without breaking nasal bones. A very small hump can be removed from the bridge without breaking the nasal bones. Removing a moderate to large hump will require osteotomies to prevent the square top or open roofed nasal deformity. Although the bones do heal and are fairly strong after the rhinoplasty, they do heal by fibrous union and are not quite as strong as they were prior to the rhinoplasty. This only matters if you get... more

African American rhinoplasties also need to be individualized.

In general, breaking the nose seems dramatic but is not a big deal. It does usually cause mild to moderate bruising, but for a nose with a wide bridge, there is no other way to narrow the upper part of the nose. For many African American rhinoplasty patients, cartilage grafts to the tip and bridge will raise the height of the nose, making it appear less flat and more refined. Alternatively, some patients are candidates for non-surgical rhinoplasty to augment the tip and bridge with... more

Poetry in motion

Dear Poetry, A small dorsal hump can indeed be shaved down without having to break the nasal bones. Narrowing the dorsal width by shaving without osteotomies is less likely. Shaving down the dorsum generally widens the bridge of the nose even further. I would recommend consultation with a plastic or facial plastic surgeon for a more complete evaluation and discussion of your options. Good luck!

Shaving bone

I f you lower a bump without narrowing the bones your nose may look wider (like cutting the top off a triangle or pyramid). I like for patients to rethink about the steps that worry them. Bones are "broken" during altercations, accidents or injuries. During rhinoplasty, bones are moved and shaped using very controlled techniques, not "broken". While this may seem like semantics, it's the heart of the matter. Don't worry about the steps needed, just get the... more

Michael L. Schwartz, MD

3 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.palmbeachface.com

Don't be afraid of "breaking the bones" in rhinoplasty

I can't tell you how common it is to hear from patients who are contemplating rhinoplasty surgery that say they "don't want their nasal bones broken." I'm not sure why patients worry so much about this, because they are asleep during the procedure and the healing time is 1 week whether or not the bones are broken. I guess it just sounds violent. So, having said that, small dorsal humps can be shaved down without performing osteotomies. Larger humps... more

Hump removal without osteotomies

By removing the dorsal hump you open the roof of your nose. This leads to a broad flat look. In almost all cases osteomities are required to close the open roof.

David A. Bray, Sr., MD

6 reviews

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

drbray.com

Rhinoplasty Without Breaking the Bones

One of the keys to a successful rhinoplasty is having the right proportions, in this case the relationship between the width and height of the bridge of your nose. Reducing a hump on the dorsum (bridge) of your nose changes this relationship and unless the reduction is very minor, it is usually best to break the bones (osteotomy) to narrow the width and have the right proportions. The bones will heal ultimately will be plenty strong to withstand any normal stresses.