Broken noses “happen.” Whether the result of a car accident, a basketball, or the Mardi Gras beads, noses can be broken.

If your nose was broken and is now crooked, it should be straightened. But there is only a short window, maybe a week to 10 days after the accident, when your nose can be reduced (i.e., straightened). After that window has closed, we have to wait 3 to 6 months to let the the nose swelling go down, and then do a rhinoplasty.

Most broken noses are “reduced” while you are under a very short anesthesia, perhaps for 10 to 15 minutes, as an outpatient.