I Broke my Nose Yesterday. Good Time for Nose Job?

Rhinoplasty is an operation of finesse. Right after a nasal fracture, there is usually swelling and bruising.This obscures the delicate nasal features that are assessed before and during rhinoplasty. In addition, the fractures in the nasal bones are usually irregular, random. If a nose requires osteotomies (controlled surgical breaks in the nasal bones) during rhinoplasty, a traumatic fracture can cause the surgical fractures to be uncontrolled.

Most surgeons will therefore wait 6-12 months after a nasal fracture before performing rhinoplasty. There are occasional exceptions to this rule.

Also note that the fracture should usually be repaired within 10 days of the injury. See a board certified plastic surgeon or otolaryngologist familiar with both fractures and rhinoplasty within a week of your injury. Good luck.

many borken noses ultimately need rhinoplasties.  the issue of weather a rhinoplasty can be done immediately after a broken nose is an interesting topic.  steve davidson, md (washingon, dc) published a paper discussing his expereince with this and it is cleare that in many situations this appraoch can be helpful.  it is also apparent that the appraoch needs to be customized for the patient based on his/her anatomy and the nature of the fracture.  getting insurance to pay for a rhinoplasty as a "treatment" for a fracture is a totally different issue.

 

by the way, the above comments relate to rhinoplasty as in restructuring the nose.  if we are talking about just reducing the bones (setting the fracture) this is usally done at about 2 wks when the swelling has resolved and the tiny bones are "sticky" and will stay put were they are placed.