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Hi, My 18 Month Old Has A Horizontal Line On

Posted on Sun, 8 Nov 2020

Question: Hi, my 18 month old has a horizontal line on the Columella of her nose. She had fallen on her face and had under skin redness on the top of her nose and the base of her nose. She didn’t have the line before this incident but I didn’t notice the line after 3 months. Is that line from damage to her nose?

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Resorption of the cartilage following the trauma...

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for posting the query

The crease developed over the columella following the trauma to the nose is due to resorption of the cartilaginous portion of the nose.

Following trauma, there would have been accumulation of the blood (hematoma) in certain places of the nose. The hematoma induces pressure over the adjoining cartilage, devoiding it of the blood supply. The cartilage which is devoid of the blood undergoes resorption and fibrosis forming a defect in that area which is seen as either a crease or a depression.

Don't worry, this would not lead to any major defect in the nose.

Hope this answers your query; revert back to me if you have any follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (18 hours later)

Thank you so much! We took our daughter to see a specialist the day after she fell on her face to check for septal hematoma and the doctor didn’t suspect anything. There was no bleeding from the nose, but the tip of the nose was red (like a mild bruise) as well as the base of the nose. We did not see the line back then, noticed it later after few weeks. I want to understand a few things:

1. Could the line be from normal development? It’s very minor, almost invisible if you don’t pay attention

2. If the line is as a result of the trauma, would it ever go away? Is it as a result of scar tissue?

3. Have the cartilage been damaged (misshaped, separated, etc)?

4. Could you please explain in simple terms what changes have occurred inside her nose? Has it changed the shape of her nose?

Thank you so much,

Best regards,

Roujyar

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
The crease would not cause and nasal deformity

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Welcome back

1. Horizontal crease over the columella is very unusual unless the tip of the nose is bulky or protruding. The minor crease would not cause any damage to the structure of the nose.

2. Do not worry! This crease would not become prominent as the surface area of the columella is very small. Also, as the columella grows vertical the crease in fact may disappear. The scar would become prominent only if the damage to the underlying tissue is severe. In your case, it was a simple bruise, hence, we don’t expect any deformity of the nose in future.

3. I don’t think so you should be worrying about the nasal deformity.

4. It’s a matter of solace that there was no septal hematoma. This would have inflicted more damage to the nasal bridge. Also, it is very normal for the kids to injure their nose while playing. Any injury over the front of the nose in the children would not cause structural deformity in future, because, the cartilage (the soft bone) is very soft and elastic unlike the hard bone in the top and it can easy bear the brunt of minor injuries.

Hope this clarifies your doubts. Wish you all a good health.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar