Hump Reduction

Hump Reduction Questions

If you are considering having a procedure to reduce a hump on the bridge of your nose, there are several things to consider before moving forward.

• How much reduction do you want? It is important for you to communicate with Dr. Hamawy how much you want to remove of the hump. This aspect comes down in large part to your personal preferences. Using digital simulations in the office of a hump reduction may help give you an idea how your nose can appear. Some patients prefer leaving a small amount of bridge fullness to maintain ethnicity or family features.
• Is your nasal bump due to excess bone, cartilage, or both? The bridge of the nose is actually made up of bone in its upper third and cartilage in the remaining lower two-thirds. Some people’s humps are limited bony areas and can be shaped during rhinoplasty by removing the excess bone only. Others may have a hump that is made up of mostly cartilage. Trimming the cartilage causing the fullness will fix this. The most common scenario is a hump that is composed of both bone and cartilage. To form a smooth contour, both bone and cartilage need to be shaved and trimmed.
• How well will your skin redrape over your nose after hump removal? How thick your skin is will determine how much reduction to make during hump removal. Sometimes, very thick skin will camouflage the results of surgery and make it more difficult to realize dramatic results. With very thin skin, this is not a problem, however, small irregularities may become more apparent since it does not have that camouflaging effect.
• Do you need to have “spreader grafts” placed to maintain the structural support of the nose and prevent future problems? Dr. Hamawy will assess whether you will need spreader grafts after your hump reduction. A spreader graft may be important to prevent too much narrowing and collapse of the upper lateral cartilages after removing the hump. This maintains adequate airflow and breathing and can prevent future cosmetic distortion that can occur due to scar contracture over the collapsed areas. The amount of tissue removed from the bridge of the nose will determine whether spreader grafts are needed to be placed.