Plastic Surgery South Florida

This is a question that I am often asked by patients or by the patient’s parents. For some reason people believe that the nose is “broken.” In reality, the nose is not “broken’ during a rhinoplasty surgery. Let me explain what actually happens. The bridge of the nose, or dorsum, as it is called is where many people have a hump.

One of the things that we rhinoplasty surgeons sometimes do to a nose is to bring down the hump. When we bring down a hump, the bridge of the nose becomes flat on profile. One of the other things that can happen is that on the bridge becomes wider on the front view. An easy way to visualize this is to imagine removing the top of a mountain. As you look at it from the side, the peak is gone. But look at it from the top, and was once a mountain coming to a peak, is now a wide circle.

If the bones are not in fractured during the rhinoplasty, the bridge of the nose will look fine on profile, but the bridge will look like a wide landing strip on the front view. For this reason, the bridge must be narrowed. This is done by in fracturing, or what is called “breaking” the nose. This is done by making small cuts on the bones of the nose. This by no means causes the patient any pain or discomfort. I have been using a technique for the past ten years that help to minimize the swelling and bruising associated with in fracturing the nasal bones. The periosteum, or lining of the nasal bones is elevated before making the bone cuts. By doing this, the tissues are less traumatized. About eighty percent of my patients that undergo a rhinoplasty do not have bruising around the eyes. The do have some swelling, but the bruising is greatly reduced, allowing for a rapid recovery.

I hope that be reading this, potential patients will understand the reason that almost all patients that undergo a nose job need to have the bones in fractured and that this maneuver should not contribute to any additional pain, discomfort, or extra healing time.