Hump on my nose after fracture, will it go away? (Photos)

Question

I fracture my nose 3 weeks ago by getting kicked in the face. There's now a noticeable lump on my bridge. I had a closed reduction performed last week but the bump is still there, if not bigger. Will this go away in its own? The bump feels like bone so I'm very worried.

Lucian Ion, FRCS · Answer

If you had the nose reset there will be some swelling concentrated over the bridge is your nasal tip was not affected by the surgery. It will take several months to know for sure whether this settles completely or not.
In some instances, the effect of the surgery is a reduction in projection of the lower half of the nasal bridge and tip, creating the impression of a bump in the upper half. If all comparison with your older photographs the tip and middle part of the bridge appear somewhat less projected, this may be the case.
Ultimately, even though the swelling over the bridge feels hard you need several months of it settling before you know exactly where you stand. There is a reasonable chance that the shape will be fine.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

A bump after a nasal fracture is not uncommon.  The periosteum can swell feeling hard like a bony elevation.  Most fractures are ideally reduced either immediately after the break or 3-6 months after the traumatic incident.  If there is still a bump at 3 months, repair can take place at this time.

Jeffrey R. Raval, MD, FACS, MBA · Answer

Hello, thank you for the question. It is really too soon to tell if the bump is permanent. Swelling should go down over the months, so I would sit tight as your nose heals to see what needs to be done.

Stefan Mark Szczerba, MD · Answer

Once a bone is broken there is a periosteal reaction on the bone surface that takes a while to settle down.  It can sometimes resolve completely or more commonly a small bump remains and can be managed with simple smoothing out (rasping) of the bump itself without additional maneuvers being required.  I wouldn't pursue it until approximately 3 months have passed.  Best Wishes!!

Summit Kundaria, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question and pictures.  Based on the information you provided, I think that you should give this time.  You are still considered to be "early" after surgery and with significant swelling.  I cannot tell you for certain that this will go away, but you likely have some degree of swelling that is to resolve.  If you need a little bony hump to take down or if you want to augment the area under the hump, these can be addressed after the swelling has resolved.  Good luck!

Kyle S. Choe, MD, FACS · Answer

It is still bit too early to know if the hump on your dorsum will go away. It may take up to several months before all of the swelling is gone. Even if the hump persists, it is an easy problem to fix.

Alastair J. Platt, FRCS (plast) · Answer

You have to be patient.  After rhinoplasty with nasal bone osteotomies (the surgical equivalent of the fracture) we tell patients that they won't see their final result till between 6 and 9 months.  There will always be some swelling that takes time to settle.  Best wishes

Julian Rowe-Jones, MBBS, FRCS (Eng), FRCS (ORL) · Answer

My concern for you is that you might have suffered a saddle nose from your injury.  In this situation the cartilage bridge which is the top of the septum drops in rather than a bony bump growing out, leaving a dip like a saddle.  This leaves what we call a bony "pseudo hump".  If your nose feels blocked it makes a septal injury more likely.  My advice would be to see your surgeon again for further examination. Take with you any pictures you have of your nose, especially showing the side view, for comparison if you can.

Damon Thomas, FRACS · Answer

A bump or prominence on the nose after an injury is very common. It takes a least a year to stabilise before you can assess the outcome.
There will often be some residual change resulting in a bump, if so it is relatively straight forward to correct it with a rhinoplasty.
Be patient and let it settle before getting too concerned.

Robert E. Zaworski, MD (retired) · Answer

Once the nose is totally healed, your surgeon may want to rasp the bone.  This is a minor procedure and sometimes done in an office setting.

Hump on my nose after fracture, will it go away? (Photos)

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