Can I shave my dorsal bump down with local anesthesia? (photo)

Hump removal under local anesthetic? Yes a full rhinoplasty can be done under local anesthesia. It depends on how comfortable the patient is hearing but not feeling the breaking of nasal bones if this is needed. See a very experienced rhinoplasty surgeon who is able to do this safely. 

Thank you for your question. Yes, that small change could be carried out with local anesthesia; however, the more taken, the wider your nose will appear at the bridge. I recommend that you schedule an in-person consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and treatment options. Best of luck! 

Any manipulation of the dorsal hump is probably best done under general anesthesia for several reasons. First off, any manipulation of the bone can be quite uncomfortable even if local anesthetic is used. Secondly, in order to maintain a stable structure of the nose, you may require moving the nasal bones or adjusting the cartilage after the hump is shaved down to avoid an open roof deformity or a wide nose. These would then require you to be under general anesthesia. Hope this helps!

Johnson C. Lee, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon

It's definitely possible and I have done it many times. If this is the only part of the nose that bothers you it may be a good option. I would consider a consultation to go over the details of the procedure and together you can decide if this is best for you. Best wishes.

Some surgeons do perform this surgery under local with IV sedation. A number of surgeons do not want the patients moving durning surgery. If patients move, they can not be as persice. This is one of the reasons that other surgeons perform this under general anesthesia. I incorporate the FINNESSE technique, which I invented. I typically do not pack the nose. Pain and recovery are minimal when compared to traditional techniques (please see the video of the patient who had their nose done ten days earlier.) I hope you find this information useful. Please watch the enclosed video.

The bump appears minor in the pictures so it is certainly an option to have this done under local anesthesia with minor sedation by mouth. Of course, general anesthesia would provide the best comfort. 

 In our practice, we perform all rhinoplasty surgeries under general anesthesia for patient safety and comfort. Trying to perform this procedure under local Anesthesia will be extremely painful. When shaving down the dorsal hummp, you'll most likely create an open roof, flattop nasal deformity. Osteotomies most likely be required to close the open roof. This will need to be performed under general anesthesia for sure.

Dorsal hump reduction can be easily performed for you but you do need to go under. The reason for this is that when the top of the hump is removed with a rasp (this can be done with you awake), you create an open roof deformity(the top of the hump is gone), then you need to break the bone at the base and move the bones in. the breaking of the bones to close the open roof requires anesthesia !

I have done many procedures completely under a local anesthetic, including nose surgery. Sometimes if you do shave the nose down, it may appear wider unless you break the bones and narrow the nose.

Personally I perform all of my nasal surgeries with an anesthesiologist to provide the patient comfort and safety during the procedure. It will depend upon the surgeon that you choose and what they are comfortable with. Seek some consultations with experts in the field and review there before and afters to ensure expertise and natural looking results. See many examples in the link and video attached. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.