Can bone/cartilage on dorsal hump be swollen and/or shift? (Closed Rhinoplasty to remove hump & rotate tip - 3 weeks post op)

Question

When my cast came off, the bridge of my nose (in profile) wasn't 100% straight, but my Dr said it's due to tissue swelling. The tissue swelling has gone down, but a minor hard bone-like bump remains. Yesterday the Dr felt it & said the bump's indeed not swollen tissue, but that this is on purpose so I don't have a 'scooped out' appearance when the swelling (of the bone?) goes down. If the bump is not swollen tissue/skin, as the Dr admitted, but rather bone/cartilage - could it go down as I heal?

Donald Groves, MD · Answer

Good afternoon. After rhinoplasty (nasal surgery), the nose can become REALLY swollen, and this swelling can take a LONG TIME to resolve (up to 1-2 years to fully resolve). At only 3 weeks after surgery (at the time of you writing this question), it is still too soon to tell what the final appearance will be. Without having personally been in the operating room during your surgery, it is hard to say exactly what is going on in your case to cause the hard "bump" that you're describing. It could be the result of any graft(s) used, the technique of the osteotomies (if done), scarring, swelling, suture knots under the skin, a resorbing clot, your nasal anatomy, or a combination of the above. 
To answer your questions:1. Bone and cartilage do not swell.2. Bone/cartilage can shift, particularly in the context of closed rhinoplasties, where any cartilage grafts are placed into a precisely dissected pocket and not typically secured into position with sutures. 3. Given how early postop you are at the time of this question, I would recommend that you continue to observe things, as any revision surgeries, if necessary, typically are not done until at least 1 year after the prior nasal surgery to allow for the inflammation and swelling to resolve. That would allow things to settle into their more final position. 
I constantly remind all my rhinoplasty patients how important it is to be patient after rhinoplasty surgery as it can take months to even years to see what the final nose will look like. Hope this helps!Best,Dr. Donald GrovesPlastic Surgeon

Can bone/cartilage on dorsal hump be swollen and/or shift? (Closed Rhinoplasty to remove hump & rotate tip - 3 weeks post op)

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Can bone/cartilage on dorsal hump be swollen and/or shift? (Closed Rhinoplasty to remove hump & rotate tip - 3 weeks post op)

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