How Long Does a Broken Nose Take to Heal?

If there is a hairline fracture or minimally displaced fracture that does not cause either breathing problem or an obvious deformity, then it can be observed and allow the bones to heal by fusing again without further manipulations. However, if there is a significant displacement, then a closed reduction procedure, ideally timed at 7-10 days following the injury could reduce the fracture and allow the bone and cartilage to heal in their anatomic (or near anatomic) position and thus minimize the chance of either complications mentioned above.In either case, it takes a total of at least 6 week for the bones to be considered healed and stable but many surgeons prefer a total of 3 months abstinence from contact sports.

A minor, straight nasal fracture that doesn't require resetting typically takes about 3 to 6 weeks to heal. During this time, swelling and bruising will gradually subside, and the bone will begin to heal. However, it can take up to 3 months for the nose to fully heal, especially in terms of soft tissue recovery. It’s important to follow the care instructions provided by your doctor to ensure proper healing and avoid complications.

I typically tell patients that the nasal bones are fused by about 14 days after the inital injury. This varies a bit based on age and degree of injury. For example, younger patients may heal in around 10 days compared to older patients who may still have some mobility of the bones even after 14 days. Similarly, if the nasal fracture is very minor with limited displacement, they may heal faster than a significant fracture with displacement which has less normal bone nearby to help the healing process. This is timeframe becomes important in the situation that the nose is no longer straight or there are associated nasal breathing issues. That is why I recommend patients be seen within 5-10 days where the bones can be "reset" into a better alignment relatively easily. After that 2 week time frame after the bones have fused in their current position it often requires a trip to the OR to "rebreak" and reset the bones, which is a slightly more involved procedure than what can be done within the ideal time window.
Hope this helps and best of luck!Kyle Kimura, MD

It usually takes 6 weeks for the nasal bones to heal. I would advise seeing a specialist to ensure that it doesn't need a closed nasal reduction (or "be reset") soon after injury. It's a lot easier to reset bones within the first 2 weeks.

A broken nose can take several months to completely heal - bones take longer to heal than most of the body.
This is important to know, particularly if you are thinking of having surgery to fix a broken nose.
There are 2 potential timings for surgery after breaking the nose - either straight away, when the tissues are still 'raw', or after several months, once things are settled.
Having surgery immediately also depends - it is not always possible to fix a broken nose straight away, especially if there is a lot of bruising and/or swelling.
This is why surgery is generally carried out after a few months. I tend to encourage my patients to wait a good year before undergoing corrective surgery for a broken nose - the surgery is technically simpler, which also means fewer things can go wrong. This is turn means you are more likely to be happy with the result.
As always, the secret to nose surgery or rhinoplasty is patience!

Not all broken noses will require surgery. If the fracture is straight and minor and there is no deviation of the nose, surgery is not required and the bones will heal in-situ. Painkillers and antibiotics may be all that is required. However, if it is a true nasal fracture, it does take 2 weeks for the bone to become stable and about 6 weeks to heal completely . During this period of time, it will be advisable to avoid wearing glasses and engaging in contact sports.Sometimes the swelling from the injury can mask the underlying deviation of the nose or underlying septal injury. You should wait a few days (3-4 days) for the swelling to subside so that you can assess more accurately if the crookedness is an illusion. Besides the nasal bones, the septum (comprising of bone and cartilage) inside the nose also needs to be considered. In instances where the septum is deviated or there is difficulty breathing, septorhinoplasty may be required.For my patients who present with a nasal fracture that is displaced, I usually recommend a closed reduction (resetting of the nasal bones and septum, without any other intervention) within the first 14 days from injury. This is especially so if the deviation is troubling to the patient or if breathing is obstructed. Occasionally a septorhinoplasty may be indicated. If there is persistent deviation of the nose, a formal rhinoplasty is usually performed 9-12months after the injury.

The fracture may be traumatic or as part of a cosmetic rhinoplasty. Bones take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. If you have a displaced nasal fracture and need a closed reduction (moving the bones back in place), this should be done in under two weeks. After that the bones start to firm up and are hard to precisely move back into place.

For the average healthy patient a nasal fracture takes about 2 weeks to heal enough to be stable.For non-displaced nasal bone fractures this means activity should be limited for this time period. I generally advise avoidance of any intense activity, contact sports and use of compressive articles such as heavy glasses, goggles and some helmets for about one month. You should also be advised that, while the nasal bones may be "stable" at two weeks or so, you may experience some discomfort, tenderness, pain and occasional swelling near the site of a nasal bone fracture for up to a year, and in some case longer. I hope that's helpful!

Hello and thanks for the question. There are different severities regarding nasal bone fractures. As a general statement the bones take ~ 6 weeks to heal. During the first two weeks following a fracture the nasal bones are still very unstable and this stability increases over time. 
The main question to consider when deciding whether or not to have your nose "re-set" is the degree of cosmetic deformity. If you have broken your nose and the bone fragments are well aligned, then the body will heal things in the proper alignment. If the bone fragments are not well aligned, (also known as displaced), then the body will heal things in a crooked fashion.
Its generally best to wait ~ 1 week after an injury to allow the swelling to subside to get a sense of how crooked the nose looks.  At that point the nose can still be manipulated pretty easily and realigned. Waiting beyond 2-3 weeks usually requires that nose be "re-broken" to get the bones to line up.
Hope that helps and good luck.

The nasal bones tend to heal in about six weeks after being broken (either from an injury or after surgery). Patients should be very careful about getting bumped in the nose during this time period (no swimming, sports, etc).
After a nasal injury, patients should be seen by a doctor and if there is any question, referred to an expert (rhinoplasty surgeon) to be sure that the nose does not need to be surgically repaired.
All the best,

It typically takes about six weeks to heal from a true nasal fracture.  If the injury was more of hairline type of fracture it should be stable with in two weeks. Try to avoid hitting your nose or using glasses until you are completely healed. Good luck.