Is there a way to tell if a nose has been broken before? (Photo)

Noses come in different shapes and sizes. Even within the same family. You have to understand that there is no such thing as the “perfect” nose. As rhinoplasty surgeons, we are able to improve the structure and function of the nose to address specific issues you have with how your nose looks and and how well you can breathe. Perfect symmetry does not exist in nature. Attempts to improve the symmetry of your nose should be aimed at achieving an improvement in your asymmetry to the point where it is no longer very noticeable. If you look carefully enough, you will always be able to find imperfections. The goal is a normal looking nose that is in harmony with the rest of your anatomy.

In rare unreduced  fractures, a step off deformity may be evidence of a prior fracture. Most of the time, bone remodeling makes it difficult to prove a fracture without an X-ray from the time of the injury. Soft tissue and cartilage injuries are more difficult to demonstrate. Nasal injuries in childhood can lead to growth displacements during development. This can also lead to septal deviations, but it is often difficult to associate with a specific event.  Fortunately it can be corrected to improve both appearance and function. 

If you suffered a nasal bone fracture, it may be possible to see evidence of the injury on a CT scan or even a plain film depending on the severity of the fracture on how much the bone was displaced.  Your nose appears straight without a deformity so it may be your fracture was mild and it will not show up on any imaging.  

I typically do not rely on X-rays to determine if there has been a nasal fracture in the past, and most of the time these things are not helpful.  What is helpful, is a convincing history of nasal trauma in the past.  The things that you mentioned like a deviated septum and a dorsal hump or "bump" can both be caused by fracture, or by normal growth and development.  Your Facial Plastic Surgeon can review your nasal exam in detail with you when you seek consultation.Best wishes!

Unfortunately their is no sure way to see if a nose has been fractured before. If you had a severe deviation of your nose and this was not evident in your early years this would be indicative of a significant injury. You mentioned that your septum is deviated. This could be from an injury but also could be congenital. The most important thing is if you have a functional airway problem. If so then it would be recommended to correct this. From your photos it appears you could have a nice improvement with a rhinoplasty. Your best bet would be to be evaluated by a surgeon who is well versed in rhinoseptoplasties. This would allow corrrection of both at the same time.

    The nasal bones must be displaced enough for an x-ray or CT scan to show an old fracture. From your photos, this probably is not the situation as your nose is symmetrical.  The hump on your nose is not related to a fracture but is a common variation on how a nose develops.  The hump can be corrected through a rhinoplasty procedure

 An x-ray of the nose will only show  a very recent fracture within the last few weeks,  since the fracture line disappears because the bones are able to heal the fracture.  The dorsal hump is composed of bone bone and cartilage must be shaved down surgically to in order to remove it. Shaving down the dorsal hump will also decrease in overall projection of the nose. A small chin implant would help bring the projection of the chin forward to help balance  the facial features, especially with the overly projecting  nose.

 HI, I agree that the bump on the left side is suspicous for a slight nasal fracture.  Bone fractures show up on Xray but cartilages ones do not.  There's no difference in how the Rhinoiplasty is done to reduce the dorsal hump, thin the nose and nasal tip so I wouldn't spend the money on any diagnostic tests.  I did want to mention that your chin is a bit weak.  A weak chin makes the nose appear larger and the mid face top-heavy.  Chin augmentation, with a chin implant, can provide harmony and balance to the lower face.  I frequently perform both at the same time.  Hope this helps.