What is a nasal fracture?
Suffering a broken nose; whether by another person, a door, or the floor is never pleasant. Your nose will hurt—a lot. You will experience a nose bleed and may find it difficult to breathe through your nose. Swelling will develop internally and externally and you may experience black eyes. Have you ever seen a hockey player after an ice fight? Nasal fractures affect both bone and cartilage. After the break, a collection of blood (called a “septal hematoma”) can form on the nasal septum. The bottom line is that a broken nose affects more than just the nose...it affects the entire face.
When should I see a doctor?
The danger of a broken nose is internal bleeding. After a break, or other injury, it is important to see a physician to diagnose septal hematoma. Your primary doctor or an emergency room physician is more than adequate to determine if you have a septal hematoma. Internal bleeding must be treated promptly to prevent other problems from developing. If you suspect your nose may be broken, see an otolaryngologist, head and neck surgeon, within one week of the injury. Your nose may be fixed within one to two weeks after the injury; any longer you will likely need to wait several months before your nose can be surgically corrected. If left untreated, a broken nose can leave you with an undesirable appearance as well as permanent breathing difficulty.
How will my doctor determine if I have a broken nose?
During the consultation, your doctor will ask several questions while examining your nose and face. You will be asked how the fracture occurred and the state of your general health. The doctor will examine not only your nose, but also the surrounding areas including your eyes, jaw, and teeth. Sometimes your physician will recommend an x-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan. These diagnostic tools can help to identify other facial fractures but may not detect a broken nose.
What are my treatment options?
If your nose is broken but not out of position, you may need nothing more than rest, taking care not to bump your nose! But, if it is badly broken, there are several options. Sometimes, all that is needed is an office visit as an outpatient. Your doctor can give you a local anesthetic, reposition the broken bones, and then hold them in the right location with a cast. The cast will remain in place for about a week. Another option depends upon the severity of the break. A serious nasal trauma accompanied with a host of other problems may require extensive surgery for correction.
What if I need surgery?
If more than two weeks have passed since the time of your injury, you may need to wait a while before having your nose straightened surgically. It may be necessary to wait two to three months before a proper repair can be done. During this time, the swelling will begin to subside and the nose will begin to heal in its place. There are good reasons to wait months before correction. One reason is that reduced swelling will allow the surgeon to get a more accurate picture of how your nose originally looked. Second, if you have waited several months for the repair, it is often possible to change the total appearance of your nose. In either case, an in-depth consultation with Dr. Sadati will outline your options for elective or corrective surgeries.
