Is it possible that my dorsal hump is getting bigger due to my deviated septum? (photos)

Thank you for sharing your photograph and questions. The short answer is that a septoplasty is unlikely to change the appearance of the hump. However there is a very small chance that surgical alteration of the nasal septum (septoplasty) may affect the appearance of the dorsal hump even if the hump itself is not altered with surgery. An experienced surgeon could explain this to you in more detail during a consultation. If the hump bothers you at all, my advice to you would be to consider having a septorhinoplasty performed as the primary operation. In either case I would recommend you discuss your concern with your surgeon prior to surgery. Good luck! Dr. Harmych

 A rhinoplasty procedure accomplishes shaving down the dorsal hump, lifting the tip, refining the nasal tip and the bridge line. It's also important to release the depressor septi ligament which pulls the tip down when smiling. Expect to pay for the cosmetic component of the rhinoplasty  yourself. A septoplasty is performed on the internal portion of the nose to help with breathing from obstructed bone and cartilage blocking air flow. A septoplasty will not change the shape of the nose, and is only done for functional purposes. A septoplasty can be billed to the patient's medical insurance once medical necessity has been documented. Both procedures can be done together at the same time under the same anesthetic with the same recovery period. For many examples and more information describing the differences between the 2 procedures, please see the video below

Hi and thanks for your question. A severely deviated septum can certainly affect the appearance of one's nose. However, septal surgery alone does not usually alter the appearance of your nose unless it is combined with a rhinoplasty. These are great questions to address with your surgeon. Best of luck!Richard Chaffoo, MD, FACS, FICSTriple Board Certified Plastic Surgeon