Have I damaged my nose after being hit after rhinoplasty 6 months post op.

From your description of the cartilage popping in and out I would suggest you book a follow up with your surgeon. Keep in mind that it can take up to a year for the results to show and during the recovery phase it's important to be as gentle as possible.

It is quite understandable that patients are always worried about getting hit in their nose after rhinoplasty. No one wants to have anything cause a problem after investing so much time, money and emotion in getting their nose to look the way they want. Healing from rhinoplasty takes place in different phases. The early phase is roughly six weeks. During this time the nose is very fragile. Cartilage and bone are knitting together as you body forms natural scar tissue to hold everything in place. Swelling is the worst in the first week and then fairly rapidly goes down so that you should be looking pretty good by the end of six weeks. Any kind of injury to the nose in this period can certainly break things apart, or dislodge he position of the parts of the nose tht your surgeon worked so hard to position. The next phase can last from six weeks after surgery to about 3 months after surgery. During this phase the nose will soften. Swelling resolves much more, and the definition of your nose starts to appear. Numbness improves and the nose doesn't feel so hard. Injury during this phase can make the initial swelling return but in general won't cause any long term damage. From 3 -12 after surgery the nose is in a refinement phase. Swelling continues to resolve and the definition emerges. After 3 months the nose is structurally strong enough to withstand most ordinary everyday type of injuries, like getting struck by a dog, a child / partner, or sports related equipment. It is always best to contact your own surgeon if you have concerns about how an injry might affect your healing. Your sugeon knows exactly what was done and is the most knowledgeable about your specific surgery.