Does the size of the hump determine whether or not it can be shaved down or if the nose needs to be broken?
When the hump is taken down, this creates an “open roof” that requires “closing” with osteotomies (ie ‘breaking the nose”) and repositioning of the nasal bones. These nasal bones are only 1/10th of an inch thick, they are very thin, and we find in my practice that cutting or “breaking” them with an osteotome does not add substantially to recovery. On rare occasion, these osteotomies can be avoided. I have seen a number of patients who came to me from elsewhere seeking revision rhinoplasty, because their primary surgeon avoided “breaking the nose,” and the patient was left with an obvious deformity that required corrective surgery. Please see my video blog on “Breaking the Nose” on www.therhinoplastycenter.com for more information on this subject.
Posted by Dr. Becker