Will Septoplasty Get Rid of the Bump on my Nose?

Question

I have a deviated nasal septum, would having a septoplasty operation straighten the external appearance of my nose if the deviation is the primary reason of the bump on my nose? thanks :)

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

Unfortunately a septoplasty will not address the bump on your nose (dorsal hump). Your septum can be straightened and your breathing improved without altering the external appearance of your nose. Lowering the bump is straightforward, but separate from septoplasty.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

Isolated Septoplasty, without certain maneuvers used in Rhinoplasty (osteotomies), is not going to straighten a crooked nose. Likewise, Rhinoplasty alone without a Septoplasty is likely to be equally unsuccessful in straightening a crooked nose. Septoplasty alone will not remove a bump from the top of the nose or change the appearance of the nasal tip. Septoplasty is designed and works as a functional procedure that can assist a cosmetic procedure (Rhinoplasty), but is not a cosmetic procedure.

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

If you are diagnosed with a nasal septal deviation, it means your septum has a curve to it.  During Septoplasty surgery your surgeon will remove some cartilage and straighten the remaining septum to help you breathe better.  While correcting a deviated septum can improve the base of the nose if it is causing a twist in it, a septoplasty would do nothing for the bump on your nose.  Many patients add a Rhinoplasty to their Septoplasty surgery to change the appearance of the nose.  Your surgeon will normally file down the bone for the bump to disappear and do a osteotomy to make it even straighter.

	If you have a severe enough deviation most insurance companies will cover the cost of the correction of it and you would just have to pay for the addition of the Rhinoplasty.  I would schedule a consultation to discuss your options.

David O. Volpi, MD · Answer

A septoplasty, unlike a rhinoplasty, is not intended
to correct or modify the outward appearance of the nose. As you referenced in
your post, the procedure will only address a deviated septum- it will not
change the look of your nose. If you are still concerned about possibly
straightening the bump on your nose, I would suggest consulting a surgeon about
a potential rhinoplasty.

Babak Larian, MD · Answer

No, a septoplasty will not reduce the bump on your nose unfortuately, however you can have a rhinoseptoplasty which can take care of both at the same time.

Will Septoplasty Get Rid of the Bump on my Nose?

Answers (5)