My son has a nose that seems to push over to one side.

Question:
My son has a nose that seems to push over to one side. It doesn’t bother me but seems to bother him. I constantly see him pushing it over to the other side like he is trying to straighten it. I know he gets teased about it in middle school. Can rhinoplasty straighten out his nose? How long would this procedure last?

Answer:
Thank you for your inquiry. The first issue I would like to point out to you is that although there is a stigma attached to your son’s nose, unfortunately, if he is still in middle school he is simply too young to have any reconstructive or cosmetic work performed on his nose as an elective procedure. The growth and development of his nose is still ongoing and the final size and shape of his nose has not yet been manifest. Surgery at middle school age runs the risk of deforming the nose as it continues to grow. Having said that, by the time most men are 17 years old, they are quite suitable candidates for rhinoplasty. A rhinoplasty can staighten a nose. It is important for me to determine if the deviation of the nose is due to malposition of the bone, cartilage, or both. If his nose is so crooked that he tries to staighten it while looking in the mirror, it is quite possible that the inside of the nose is also crooked and he may have some breathing issues due to septal deviation that can also be addressed at the time of surgery. The procedure generally takes between 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending upon the complexity of the case.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld