I noticed a dent on the tip of my nose, can this be fixed or stopped? (Photos)

Question

I've been on biologic autoimmune medications for a while and they have been causing constant mrsa/staph infections in my nose. I've been hospitalized twice because of this. Today I noticed that my nose tip appears to be separating and my nostril is collapsing(?) Is there something that can be done to stop this from worsening and return my nose to normal? What price range are we talking about? Thanks

Jag Chana, MD, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

The appearance you describe is a bifid tip which results from the groove between the paired nasal cartilages. It is possible to correct this using a small graft and this is best performed with an open rhinoplasty.

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. This is due to a separation of your lower lateral cartilage.  Based on your
photograph, you may benefit from a tip refining rhinoplasty. Your surgeon can
accomplish this by trimming, suturing, and reshaping the cartilage in your
lower nose. Cost varies based on geographic region and surgeon expertise.  Make
sure you specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients
who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon and not just a computer
animation system. The most important aspect is to find a
surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek consultation with a
qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Harry V. Wright, MD · Answer

silmarne,What you are seeing is the relatively thin skin your nose draped over the paired cartilages that make up the tip. It is a normal variant but certainly is amenable to correction with surgery. Seek out a consultation with a reputable rhinoplasty surgeon to see if your desires can be accomplished with surgery.Best wishes!  Harry V. Wright MD, Sarasota, Florida

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

What you have is a bifid nasal tip or a separation of the lower alar cartilages at the cost projecting part of the nasal tip. It often also extends down into the columella below the tip. This can be corrected by either suturing the two cartilages closer together or placing a cartilage grafts in the split, which ever offers the best aesthetic outcome.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

What you are referring to is the normal cleavage plane between the two nasal tip cartilages. Depending upon the width of the cartilages and skin thickness, this can be very prominent or not visualized whatsoever.  A rhinoplasty procedure can accomplish improvement in this area a combination of procedures. A small moreselized cartilage graft can be placed in that area to help with the cleavage. This must be harvested from somewhere inside the nose. Alternatively, suture techniques and conservative cartilage removal can accomplish narrowing the bulbous tip  and reducing the cleavage between the two cartilages. For more information  and many examples, please see the link and the video below

I noticed a dent on the tip of my nose, can this be fixed or stopped? (Photos)

Answers (5)