Going home after your visit
Broken nose — advice after a nasal injury
How to care for an injured nose, and what to look out for as it heals.
You have a broken or injured nose. Most heal well without any treatment. Swelling can hide the true shape at first, so any reshaping is decided after the swelling settles — usually reviewed within about a week.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Come back to A&E urgently — or call 999 — if any of these happen
Some need treating within hours to prevent lasting harm.
- A soft, swollen, blocked lump on the middle wall inside the nose — this needs draining within hours
- Clear, watery fluid dripping from the nose after the injury
- A nosebleed you cannot stop after pinching
- Your nose is completely blocked and you cannot breathe through it
- Spreading redness, swelling or a fever (signs of infection)
CALL 999 Call 999 if a nosebleed is very heavy, or breathing becomes difficult.
Caring for it
- Hold a wrapped ice pack on the nose for swelling in the first day or two.
- Sleep propped up on pillows to ease swelling.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if you can take them.
- Do not try to straighten the nose yourself.
- Avoid contact sport for about 6 weeks.
- If it bleeds, lean forward and pinch the soft part for 10–15 minutes.
Follow-up
If the nose looks bent once the swelling settles, it can often be straightened — but this is usually done within 2 weeks of the injury. So please keep any ENT or clinic appointment you are given, to have your nose reassessed in good time.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a red-flag symptom above
111
Urgent but not life-threatening, or you're not sure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team
Use the department phone in Your care details above