A broken nose is a serious injury that can cause lasting breathing problems or affect the appearance of your nose. The best way to determine if your nose is fractured is to see a doctor who can diagnose and treat the injury.

Whether you have a broken nose isn’t always obvious, and it can sometimes take weeks to know for sure. However, it’s important to seek medical attention quickly if you think you have a break.

If it’s less than 2 weeks ago, a doctor may be able to straighten your nose without surgery by manually realigning the bones. This can restore the appearance of your nose and resolve any difficulties you have breathing through it.

For a more severe break that’s left untreated for more than 14 days, surgery may be needed to correct the shape and function of your nose. This type of surgical procedure is called septoplasty.

After 3 - 5 Weeks - After 3 - 5 weeks, most of the swelling and bruising should have gone down. This is when you should be able to breathe through your nose freely again, unless there’s still a deviated septum or other problem with your nasal structure.

If you’ve had a broken nose for more than 2 weeks, there are new, minimally invasive techniques that can free up your nasal bones and return them to their proper position. These procedures can be performed while you are asleep under a general anaesthetic.