Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Broken Nose (Nasal Fracture)

Treatment

If your injured nose is deformed or misaligned and you seek emergency treatment, the doctor may attempt to realign your nose immediately. This can be done with or without surgery. For persistent bleeding, the doctor may pack the front of your nose with a hemostatic sponge or gauze. If there is a bruise or blood clot on your nasal septum (a septal hematoma), the doctor will make a small incision to allow the blood clot to drain. A septal hematoma that is not drained can lead to permanent deformity of the nose.

If your injury seems to be less severe, your doctor may wait for a few days to allow swelling to subside before assessing the situation. In many cases, the nose can be realigned within the first 10 days after injury in a nonsurgical procedure called a closed reduction. After that time, the realignment can be done surgically with a procedure called a rhinoplasty, which reshapes your nose to improve its appearance. When the nasal septum needs to be repaired as well, the procedure is called a septorhinoplasty.