Break Nasal Bone to Fix Nose Bridge Bump?

Question

I have a small bump on the bridge of my nose, which is more visible from one side. Will the nasal bone need to be broken in order to fix this?

Ali Sajjadian, MD, FACS · Answer

You can correct this hump by either method of filing it down (rasping) or Micro-fracturing it depending on how prominent it is.

	It all depends on the width of the nose, the appearance of the bones on the opposite side and the degree of the hump. If you can post the picture, we can help you more specifically.

	Please be aware of fillers in the nose as it can cause some serious and unfortunate outcomes.

	Hope this was helpful.

	Dr. Sajjadian

Richard J. Bruneteau, MD · Answer

The majority of patients who undergo rhinoplasty for the
treatment of boney dorsal humps require surgical infracture. In this group, the
larger the boney deformity, the greater the probability that infracture will be
necessary.

When
dorsal humps are removed, the nasal bridge often appears to have an increased
transverse width. Under these circumstances, infracture is necessary to
optimize the aesthetic result.

In
your case, it’s virtually impossible to make a recommendation without a
physical examination and pictures taken from multiple angles. Each patient
requires a comprehensive evaluation before any decision can be made.

In
some cases where the bump is small and the bridge is narrow, removal of the
bump alone will be adequate and give excellent surgical results. In other
cases, where the bump is large and the bridge is wide, infracture is usually
unavoidable.

Although
patients are often afraid of having their nose broken, most patients do well
after this maneuver. Pain, discomfort and swelling may be slightly increased
with infracture. The majority of patients tolerate infracture and are very
happy with their surgical result.

If
you’re considering rhinoplasty it’s important to consult a board certified
plastic surgeon. This surgeon should be able to help you formulate an
appropriate treatment plan.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Every nasal hump is different and this can be examined by an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon on the best approach. In general, larger humps will necessitate breaking the nasal bones, while smaller humps may not.

Shahram Salemy, MD, FACS · Answer

In many cases, with a small bump no fracturing of the bone is required, but it's hard to know without an examination. If you do need an infracture, however, this is not something that should be feared as the procedure and the recovery are usually very straightforward.

John Diaz, MD · Answer

A bump on the bridge of the nose is usually a combination of excess bone and cartilage in the area. In order to remove the bump, the bone must be reduced. This usually also requires reduction of the cartilage to maintain a smooth profile.  Often, the nasal bones will have a small space between them when they are reduced. In order to close this space, the nasal bones muct be precisely fractured and repositioned.
This is a very controlled maneuver. A well trained rhinoplasty surgeon can accomplish this with precision.
It will only be done if nececssary. However, in most cases where bumps on the nose are reduced, it will be required.

David C. Pearson, MD · Answer

I've noticed that many people on the web are seemingly most worried about the bones and having to "break" them. Fact is, the majority of the work, difficulty, and complications are related to the soft-tissue work of the tip and mid-third.
The bones are, arguably, the least difficult part of the surgery and are not broken, but rather precisely cut and repositioned. Since the nasal bones are thin, just shaving them without cutting bone can create an "open-roof" deformity. And in contrast to fractures of the axial skeleton (arms, legs, etc.) the nasal bones are not particularly load-bearing and are not particularly mobile in the sense of muscles and joints. Thus, pain...which is probably most patients real concern...is not usually a major feature of the bony work.
All the best,
--DCP

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

If your nose-bump is large, you'll need an operation to remove it. That usually leads to widening of your nose, which may require in-fracturing to narrow the frontal appearance of your nose.
If the bump is small, you might benefit from an Injectable Filler treatment above and below the bump to camouflage it's appearance.
I've attached a link that demonstrates this Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty in a male patient.
I hope this helps, and best regards.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

If the bump is small then you will probably not need to have the bones fractured. But if it is larger then you will need this done so that the bridge won't be too wide.

Tanveer Janjua, MD · Answer

Yes,
Majority of the times a nasal bump (dorsal hump) is reduced by shaving off the cartilage part and then breaking (chiselling away) the bony part. After this step the top (dorsum) looks a bit flat. To make it look narrow like normal, the side bones are broken and pushed towards midline to achieve the narrow look.
Only exception is when the dorsal hump is purely bony and very small. In those cases just sanding down (rasping) the hump might fix the problem.
 
Regards

Sam Jejurikar, MD · Answer

The answer is...maybe. A picture would help answer this question more definitively.
Most humps of the nasal bridge are treated by removing excess convex bone, often times with a rasp. When the nasal bridge has been reduced , often the edges of the nasal bones become very prominent (open roof deformity). If that happens, the nasal bones need to be broken and pushed together.
An evaluation by a board-certified plastic surgeon would help determine what specific maneuvers are needed to correct your nose. Best of luck!