Broken noses are the most common facial fractures. Men are twice as likely as women to break their noses. Breaking your nose is painful and can make it hard to breathe through your nose. 

A broken nose happens when you have significant damage to the bridge of your nose (the bony section at the top of your nose), the cartilage in your nasal septum that divides your nasal cavity into two sections and the mucus membrane that lines the inside of your nose. When you break your nose, you might:

• Dislocate the bridge of your nose, moving it from the center of your face to one side.

• Tear the membrane that lines your nose, causing nosebleeds.

• Dislocate your septum, which could cause blood to pool beneath your cartilage. This is called a septal hematoma. Septal hematomas can cause your nose cartilage to die, creating what’s known as a saddle nose deformity.

• Damage the bones that connect your nose to your skull. That damage can cause the fluid in your brain and spinal cord to leak. It also makes your brain vulnerable to bacteria that cause serious infections.