CROOKED NOSE RHINOPLASTYSTRAIGHTENING A DEVIATED NOSE, IN LONDON

What is a crooked nose?

A nose that bends away from the midline

A crooked nose is one that deviates from the straight vertical line down the centre of the face, so the bridge, the tip, or both, sit off to one side. A deviated or asymmetrical nose, as it is also known, may look like a gentle C or S shape from the front, or lean in a straight line to the left or right; you can see how it compares in our guide to nose shapes. Almost no nose is perfectly symmetrical, and a slight lean is completely normal. It is only when the deviation is noticeable, or comes with blocked breathing, that people look into crooked nose surgery to straighten it.

Why is my nose crooked?

The common causes

A crooked nose usually has one of a few causes, and often more than one at once:

• A previous injury. A broken or knocked nose that healed with the bones set off-centre is the most common reason, sometimes from an injury years earlier that seemed minor at the time.
• A deviated septum. The wall of bone and cartilage dividing the nostrils can be bent, which pushes the nose off to one side and often blocks breathing on the narrower side.
• Genetics. Some people are simply born with an asymmetrical nose, most often because the tip cartilage on one side is a little larger or sits differently to the other, with no injury involved and the asymmetry present since the teens.
• Previous surgery. Occasionally a nose can look crooked after earlier rhinoplasty, which is corrected with revision surgery.

Whatever the underlying cause, Mr Shoaib identifies which is at play for you at a consultation in central London before recommending any treatment.

Crooked nose treatment: cosmetic, or does it affect breathing too?

Often both, and both can be treated together

The good news is that you do not have to choose between a straighter nose and easier breathing. If you have ever felt you can only breathe properly through one nostril, or you snore more on one side, the cause is often the same deviation that is bending the outside of your nose. Where both are affected, a single operation, a septorhinoplasty in London, realigns the outside of the nose and opens the airway at the same time. Mr Shoaib assesses your breathing at consultation and tells you honestly whether a functional element is needed, or whether the correction is purely aesthetic.

Crooked nose rhinoplasty for men

Straightening the profile, keeping it masculine

For men, the goal is a straight, balanced nose that still looks strong and masculine, never small or over-refined. Straightening a crooked nose in a man often means resetting the nasal bones to the midline and, where needed, correcting a deviated septum so the nose sits centrally on the face. A crooked nose can make the whole face look off-balance in photos, and bringing it back to centre often has a bigger effect on how balanced the whole face looks than people expect.

Crooked nose rhinoplasty for women

A straight, proportionate and natural result

For women, the aim is a straight, proportionate nose that sits in harmony with the eyes, lips and chin, and looks entirely natural rather than obviously operated. Correcting an asymmetrical nose can make the whole face look more balanced and photograph more evenly, and the change is usually understated. Keeping the result natural, and avoiding an over-narrowed look, is the priority.

How crooked nose surgery works

Resetting the nose to the midline

Straightening a crooked nose is one of the more technically demanding rhinoplasty operations, because the nose has a memory and tends to drift back toward its old position, and even with thorough correction some tendency to drift can remain. The drift usually comes from an under-corrected caudal septum or residual bony spurs quietly pulling the nose back off-centre, which is why Mr Shoaib addresses each element rather than only the visible bend:

• Osteotomies. Precise, controlled cuts let the nasal bones be reset to the midline.
• Septal correction. A deviated septum is straightened, which both centres the nose and clears the airway.
• Cartilage grafts. Spreader or supporting grafts, often from your own septum, help hold the straightened nose in its new position and reduce the tendency to drift back.
• Open or closed. Mr Shoaib selects the approach that gives the control a crooked nose needs; complex deviations are often best corrected through an open approach.

Recovery and results

What to expect afterwards

Recovery follows the usual rhinoplasty pattern. A splint protects the nose for about a week, bruising and swelling settle over the first two to three weeks, and most people feel comfortable in public by two weeks. The straighter line is visible as soon as the splint is removed, though the final result appears gradually as swelling clears over the following months. Our guide on swelling after rhinoplasty explains the timeline.

All surgery carries risks, including bleeding, infection, temporary numbness and some residual asymmetry, which Mr Shoaib will go through in full at your consultation. Because a crooked nose tends to drift and rarely straightens perfectly, correcting a deviated nose carries a higher chance than a straightforward reduction that a small further refinement, or revision surgery, is needed to reach the straightest possible result. No surgeon can guarantee a perfectly straight nose.

Choosing your surgeon

Why straightening is a test of experience

A crooked nose is one of the truest tests of a rhinoplasty surgeon, because an incomplete correction lets the nose drift back over the following year. It calls for a surgeon who corrects every element pulling the nose off-centre, not just the visible bend. Mr Taimur Shoaib FRCS (Plast) is a consultant plastic surgeon at 64 Harley Street, London, whose rhinoplasty practice focuses on natural, structurally sound results. His peer-reviewed research on tip control in closed rhinoplasty (European Journal of Plastic Surgery, 2026) reflects the same focus on precise, lasting shaping. You can read more on our London rhinoplasty surgeon page.