Can rasping the front nasal bone actually make the nose appear wider?

This is a very insightful question. When a dorsal hump or nasal bump is removed either with a rasp or an osteotome it can create a very flat nasal bridge. The flat nature of the bridge, if left uncorrected, will make the nose look square and wider on the front view. This is why in the vast majority of cases a hump reduction is always followed by osteotomies to narrow the nasal bones and create a natural, rounded contour to the nasal bridge. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Rasping down the bones in some anatomies can create this appearance.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Hi there. Because of the pyramidal shape of the nose, rasping may make the dorsum appear wider (flatter tip to the pyramid) but will not affect the base width. This is usually corrected at the end of the operation with small osteotomies - the two sides of the bone are broken and pushed together in the midline giving the dorsum a more narrow appearance. I hope that helps.