Can Excessive Cartilage Be Removed Without Breaking the Nose?

Although it is possible to do what you are asking it may not always be the right thing to do.  Osteotomies are certainly not the hardest part of rhinoplasty and narrowing the bony part of the nose can help keep the structures balanced.

There are situations where tip rhinoplasty would not require breaking nasal bones or cartilage. However, it is impossible to say without photos or an in-person consultation if this would apply to your case. You can use this site to find board-certified facial plastic surgeons in or around your area. Research their before-and-after photos and their testimonials. Make appointments to talk to a few in person. It may be that your tip can be fixed without addressing the rest of the nose, but it may be that you will need to reshape the entire nose to get the most aesthetically pleasing result. Consulting face-to-face with a facial plastic surgeon will answer your questions and allay your fears. I hope this helps.

It is possible to have cartilage removed without having to break your nose. Only the first 1/3 of your nose is your nasal bones and the other 2/3 is cartilage, so many times it is not necessary to break the nose. However, it depends on the anatomy of your nose and what look you want to achieve.
Should it come down to having to break the nasal bone in order to achieve the look you want, discuss all concerns with your plastic surgeon. He/she should be able to minimize your fear with their expertise and advice.
Best regards,
Dr. Speron

Without seeing photos of you it is impossible to tell what surgical techniques your nose would benefit from. In general, a large nasal tip rarely improves with just cartilage removal. Usually, some improvement in tip projection and rotation will often improve the appearance of a large nasal tip without actually removing much if any cartilage. Breaking the bone is only done if the bridge is crooked or needs bone removal to reduce a hump. Hope this helps.

It's impossible to tell whether you would benefit from nasal osteotomies without seeing your photos. In general, if the upper 2/3 of your nose is too wide, or if you have a profile-bump, then osteotomies would be required. If you only require tip work, then the nasal bones might not need to be fractured.
I hope this is helpful for you.