Nose cartilage moving to the right side - how can I fix this? (Photos)

Question

Hi, 47 year old female with no previous facial surgeries. Over the last 18months my nose cartridge has slowly been moving to the right side, giving that side a bulbous appearance and a line/ridge appearing from thr front. What kind of surgery would fix this issue?

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. Based on your photographs, you may benefit from a rhinoplasty. A surgeon can accomplish this by trimming, suturing, and reshaping the cartilage in your lower nose. Fascial grafts may also be used to help improve tip refinement. This can also be designed to improve the symmetry of your tip. Make sure you are going to a surgeon with hundreds of long-term before and after pictures on their website with standardized lighting and standardized backgrounds. With good surgical technique, you could have an outstanding result. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified rhinoplasty surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

Based on your photos, you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty. Sometimes the cartilage can move after rhinoplasty or there may be asymmetries in the two sides which are not noticed until the swelling comes down. These things can all be fixed with open revision rhinoplasty. The two tip cartilages can be made more defined as well as very similar shape, leading to a nicer tip. Be sure to see a rhinoplasty expert for consultation.

Selcuk Inanli, MD · Answer

Hello! Thank you for your question.
As far as I can see from your photos , recommended procedure for your situation is a Septorhinoplasty.When nasal cartilage gradually shifts or warps over time, it often indicates a underlying septal deviation or asymmetric structural support pushing the cartilage outward, creating that bulbous ridge.
It would be better face to face consultation.
Best Regards!

Lexie Wang, MD · Answer

.... a rhinoplasty would fix it! Not sure what you were looking for beyond that...

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Semih Yildiz, MD, FEBOPRAS · Answer

The photos show subtle asymmetry of the nasal tip and nostrils, with a fuller contour on one side. They cannot establish that cartilage is actually moving or identify the cause. A progressive change over 18 months in a nose that has never been operated on deserves an examination before discussing cosmetic surgery.

A facial plastic surgeon or ENT should inspect and palpate the skin, soft tissue, tip cartilages, and septum and assess the inside of the nose. Possible explanations range from normal or age-related asymmetry to prior unnoticed trauma, cartilage or septal deviation, inflammation, a skin or soft-tissue process, or another localized change. Imaging is not always needed but may be ordered if examination suggests a mass or deeper structural issue.

If the problem is confirmed to be tip-cartilage asymmetry, treatment could involve a limited or full rhinoplasty using cartilage reshaping, sutures, or grafts; septoplasty may be added if the septum contributes. The correct procedure depends on the diagnosis rather than the visible ridge alone. Arrange evaluation sooner if the area is rapidly enlarging, painful, bleeding, causing obstruction, or associated with skin color or texture changes.

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

You would benefit from a rhinoplasty. The cartilage will be trimmed as necessary to re-center it. You may benefit from bony work as well. Your photographs are too limited to give an accurate answer.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Mert Demirel, MD · Answer

A nose that changes shape gradually over 18 months, without any previous surgery or injury, should first be properly examined before deciding on surgery. What you describe the cartilage shifting to one side, a fuller or bulbous look on that side, and a visible line or ridge from the front usually points to a change in the position or support of the nasal cartilages, sometimes together with a deviation of the septum, which is the wall inside the nose. As we age, the cartilage can weaken and the tip support can change, which may make an existing asymmetry more noticeable over time.If the examination confirms that the cartilage and septum have shifted, the treatment is typically a rhinoplasty, often combined with septum correction (a septorhinoplasty). The goal in your case would not be to create a completely different nose, but to straighten the deviated cartilage, restore support so the shift does not continue, and bring back a balanced, natural appearance from the front. It is also important to check your breathing during the examination, because a shifting septum often affects airflow on one side even before it becomes visible from outside.

Nose cartilage moving to the right side - how can I fix this? (Photos)

Answers (7)

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