Fix a Crooked Nose

Having a crooked nose can make you self-conscious about your appearance and affect you socially. If you feel as though your nose isn’t as straight as you’d like it to be, there are steps you can take to provide the appearance of a straighter nose. In more serious situations, medical procedures may be required. Remember that undergoing such a procedure may not be necessary and you should consider your options carefully before pursuing cosmetic surgery.

Steps

Using Injections to Temporarily Straighten a Crooked Nose

1. Determine if you are eligible for injection rhinoplasty. Injection rhinoplasty, sometimes referred to as the five minute or fifteen-minute nose job, is a non-surgical procedure some people may be able to use to create a straighter nose for a period of six to twelve months.
   • Injection rhinoplasty is best for people with mild humps, deviations or irregularities that they wish to correct without undergoing an actual rhinoplasty procedure.
   • Injection rhinoplasty is not a viable option for those with a more pronounced bend in their nose.
2. Schedule an appointment with a plastic surgeon to discuss the procedure. Not all plastic surgeons conduct injection rhinoplasties, so you may need to do some internet research to find one near you that suits your needs.
   • You can find a list of board certified plastic surgeons in your area on PlasticSurgery.org.
   • Consider seeing more than one surgeon if you would like multiple opinions on the options you have for your nose.
3. Receive dermal injections to alter the shape of your nose. The plastic surgeon will inject dermal filler into specific areas of your nose in order to alter the shape of it and create a straighter overall appearance.
   • Once the injections have been made, the doctor will massage the material into exactly the right shape to fit your nose.
   • You are completely awake during the procedure and can oversee each action the doctor makes.
4. Continue to receive treatment as necessary. After your nose heals, the changes made to its appearance will last for six to twelve months, at which point you may choose to undergo the procedure once again.
   • Do not touch your nose for a few days immediately after the procedure as the dermal filling sets and the injection sites heal.
   • Because the results are temporary, adjustments can be made throughout your treatment to achieve a lasting, natural looking nose.

Using Rhinoplasty to Correct a Crooked Nose

1. Schedule an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon. Rhinoplasties are fairly common medical procedures in the United States and you are likely to find a number of qualified surgeons in your area that can conduct the surgery.
   • Meet with the surgeon to discuss your medical history and whether or not you are a good candidate to undergo the rhinoplasty procedure.
   • You may have a medical reason to pursue surgery, such as obstruction of the nasal passages.
   • Signs of obstruction include a feeling of fullness, stuffiness, congestion, or complete blockage. Straightening your nose may correct impaired breathing and structural deficits of the nose, and may even improve your sleep.
   • Septoplasty is the definitive treatment for those with deviated nasal septum.
2. Undergo a physical exam. Before you can undergo the procedure, your doctor will conduct a complete physical examination to ensure that you are healthy enough to undergo surgery and that the procedure will actually benefit you.
   • The doctor will likely run a series of blood tests to ensure you are healthy enough for the procedure.
   • The doctor will look at the thickness of your skin and the strength of the cartilage in your nose in order to determine what affect they may have on your results.
3. Understand the risks. As is the case with any surgery, rhinoplasty procedures are not without risk. You should be well aware of what could possibly happen and make sure you understand the likelihood of such complications. Ask your doctor to discuss the following possibilities with you:
   • Recurring nosebleeds
   • Difficulty breathing through your nose
   • Pain, discoloration or numbness in your nose
4. Discuss your expectations. Before agreeing to a surgical procedure, ensure you and your doctor are on the same page regarding what the procedure entails and what you can expect as a result. Your doctor may inform you of limitations in the procedure or other elements that may play a role in the appearance of your nose.
   • In some situations, the doctor may bring up the possibility of making a change to your chin as well, as smaller chins can draw attention to the nose.
   • It is important that you are open with your surgeon in order to make sure you aren’t disappointed by the results.
5. Undergo the surgery. Your surgeon may choose to use local anesthesia with sedation to conduct the surgery or he or she may choose to use general sedation to put you under throughout the procedure. You should discuss the benefits and risks of each with your surgeon in order to choose what is best for you.
   • Local anesthesia and sedation usually involves numbing just the area around your nose and sedating you using a medication provided through an IV.
   • General anesthesia is generally received via a mask that you breath gas through until you are unconscious. General anesthesia requires a breathing tube to be inserted into your lungs through your mouth.
6. Recover from the surgery. You will wake up in a recovery room after the surgery and will need to lie with your head elevated for some time. You may experience congestion due to swelling in the hours you spend in the recovery room. Once you are released, you can return to normal life with a few limitations for the first few weeks:
   • Avoid strenuous activity that elicits heavy breathing.
   • Take baths instead of showers to avoid wetting the bandages.
   • Avoid extreme facial expressions until the surgery site heals.

Using Makeup Contouring to Conceal Your Crooked Nose

1. Determine if your crooked nose is a medical or an aesthetic issue. If your crooked nose is causing you problems with your breathing, you may have a deviated septum. If your crooked nose is a symptom of a medical condition that requires treatment, you should see a doctor about having it repaired.
   • If you experience pain from time to time while breathing deeply, you may have a deviated septum that can be repaired surgically. Nasal obstruction is a reason for surgical intervention and can help with breathing better and sleeping better during the day and night.
   • Experiencing frequent nose bleeds is also a symptom of a deviated septum that requires treatment.
   • If you prefer to sleep on one side or have been told you make significant breathing noises as you sleep, you may have a deviated septum as well.
2. If your crooked nose is an aesthetic issue, consider leaving it alone. If your crooked nose is only an aesthetic issue, you should consider leaving it alone. Using makeup to reduce the conspicuousness of your crooked nose may be enough.
   • Injections and surgery are both expensive and pose medical risks that may not be necessary if your nose issue is only a visual one.
   • Do not feel pressured to alter the way you look because of what others may think.
   • Consider that you may get the surgery and find that you prefer your old nose to the new one.
3. Gather the appropriate contouring shades of makeup. Using makeup to make your nose look straighter will require the use of three different shades of contouring makeup. These shades are used to create the illusion of a straighter nose without actually changing your nose at all. You will need:
   • One contouring shade that is two shades darker than your natural skin tone.
   • One the is only slightly darker than your natural skin tone.
   • One contouring shade that is two shades lighter than your skin tone.
4. Draw straight lines down the sides of your nose. Using two shades of contouring makeup you can establish a straighter look to your nose by drawing straight lines down your nose that do not bend where your nose does.
   • Draw two straight lines down the sides of your nose with the darkest shade of contouring makeup.
   • Draw lines outside those dark lines with the medium shade of contouring makeup.
5. Use the lightest shade on the bridge of your nose. The bridge of your nose often serves as an extended base to the nose and can help establish a straight appearance by creating a relation between the bridge of your nose and the tip.
   • Apply the highlight makeup to the center of the bridge of your nose to draw it toward the straightened lined you established with the dark shades.
   • The combination of these shades will create the illusion of a straighter nose.

Related Articles

• Clear a Stuffy Nose
• Stop a Nose Bleed
• Get Rid of a Runny Nose
• Pierce Your Own Nose

Sources and Citations

See also

• Treat Nasal Infection Naturally
• Clear a Stuffy Nose
• Make Yourself Sneeze
• Get Rid of a Runny Nose
• Stop a Sneeze
• Clean Your Nostrils
• Prevent Nose Bleeds
• Get Rid of a Stuffy Nose Quickly
• Clear Nasal Congestion
• Drain Sinuses

Read more ...