Unfortunately, everyday incidents like falling off a bike, taking a hit during sports, or bumping into a door can displace your nasal bones or septum. The entire nose may be moved over to one side. Sometimes, just the central portion of the nose is disrupted, resulting in a “C” shaped deformity. This is usually soon accompanied by swelling and bruising. Either way, Los Angeles nasal fractures can be a stressful and painful injury.
While a broken nose can heal on its own, it’s likely your nose won’t look the same. That’s why so many choose to undergo nasal trauma rhinoplasty in Los Angeles. This is performed by a board-certified ENT doctor in Los Angeles who will ensure that your corrected nose is as close to your idea of perfect as possible.
The Closed Reduction Procedure
The options for repairing a broken nose vary based on timing after the initial injury. The bones may be reduced or ‘set’ into their previous position by a qualified physician within a few hours after the injury before significant swelling begins to distort the assessment of the nose. Since no incisions are used during this procedure, it is called a ‘closed reduction,’ which is in contrast to an open reduction. The septum can also be set if needed, however this component usually requires additional procedures if significant disruption has taken place. The other reason to see a medical professional as soon as possible is to rule out a septal hematoma, or blood collection within the septum, that could potentially result in nasal infection and deformity if not addressed in a timely manner.
Timing of Repair
If a closed reduction does not take place immediately, it is generally better to wait about 5 -7 days until swelling has subsided in order to adequately assess the nose before resetting the bones and septum. Once more than 10 days have passed however, the bones have begun to be set in place and a closed reduction may no longer be possible. Once too much time has elapsed, patients generally must wait at least 6 weeks following the injury to address the fractured bones and septum with an ‘open reduction’ or ‘septorhinoplasty.’
Open Reduction and Septorhinoplasty/Reconstructive Rhinoplasty
Once an older fracture has healed into place, resulting in an external deformity and sometimes nasal breathing compromise, an ‘open reduction’ of the nasal bone fractures or ‘reconstructive rhinoplasty’ is necessary to correct these issues. The soonest that these procedures can take place is 6 weeks after the injury, allowing time for the bones to adequately heal in place and tolerate the necessary manipulations. While a closed reduction is usually completed in the office with adult patients, open reduction and reconstructive rhinoplasty are performed in the operating room under general anesthesia. During open reduction, the nasal bones are re-fractured in a controlled fashion with ‘osteotomies’ to return them to the pre-injury position. Oftentimes, adjusting the nasal bones alone is not sufficient to adequately correct the functional and cosmetic deficits.
During a septorhinoplasty or reconstructive rhinoplasty, the nasal septum is adjusted and cartilage grafts are carefully harvested from the septum to create grafts used for structural support and enhanced cosmesis. Septoplasty is mainly focused on improving breathing, while rhinoplasty is about restructuring in an aesthetic way. During rhinoplasty, the focus is on the cosmetic appearance of the nose rather than function.
Following surgery, you will have a cast on your nose for about one week. This cast will support and protect the healing nasal bones from accidental trauma or movement. Except in infrequent cases of significant bleeding, packing will not be placed in the nose. You should expect to feel congested for a few days. During the first week, activity is limited in order to minimize bruising or bleeding.
Nose surgery can be done alongside other surgeries that our head and neck doctors at Westside Head & Neck can perform, including:
Broken Nose Repair And Treatment
If you play contact sports like football, soccer, basketball, martial arts, boxing, and bicycle riding, you are at an increased risk of breaking your nose. Many people will tell you that broken noses don’t require treatment, but if your fractured nose in LA causes you breathing issues, or if you’re simply unhappy with its appearance, you can seek out corrective surgery. The Los Angeles nose repair doctors of Westside Face can repair your broken nose quickly, efficiently, and with minimal pain.
What To Do After A Broken Nose
If you have suffered nasal trauma, it’s vital that you get medical treatment right away so that you can get an idea of the severity. Some broken noses require immediate treatment, but others can go untreated; it all depends on the severity of the fracture. You should see a nasal reconstruction specialist in LA if you experience:
The above symptoms are signs that the incident that broke your nose may have also caused a head injury. Even if you don’t want to go through with a rhinoplasty procedure in LA, you can still get a professional opinion through a consultation at Westside Head & Neck.
A crooked nose may be purely cosmetic, but you may need to treat it if it starts to affect your breathing. If you want to undergo rhinoplasty or septoplasty, a Los Angeles nose fracture specialist can correct your nose by reshaping the bone, removing portions of bone and cartilage, and injecting gels to reshape the overall structure.