Nose Aesthetic Surgery and Breathing Problems (Septorhinoplasty)
Why can’t I breathe easily?
If you have a breathing problem, it can be easily corrected with rhinoplasty surgery. In other words, septum deviation surgery or nasal flesh surgery can be easily performed together with rhinoplasty, and this surgery is called Septorhinoplasty Surgery.
If a patient with a respiratory problem undergoes rhinoplasty surgery without resolving this complaint, this will cause their complaints to increase and may subsequently require repeated nose surgery. Therefore, patients with septum deviation or nasal contus should request that these problems be solved together if they are going to have rhinoplasty surgery.
Septum; It is a wall that divides the nasal cavity into two. The front part of the septum consists of a solid but flexible cartilage, and the back part consists of bone. Under ideal conditions, the septum should be located in the midline and the right and left nasal cavities should be of equal width. In 80% of people, the septum is not exactly in the midline, and this does not cause any complaints and usually does not cause any health problems. Sometimes the septum is in a position that is very deviated from the midline and this is called septum deviation or nasal deviation.
The mechanisms by which nasal deviation occurs vary. Rarely, some babies are born with a deviated septum due to the curved development of the septum in the womb. Sometimes the septum bends during the baby’s passage through the birth canal. Impacts, falls, sports injuries, and traffic accidents in childhood and adulthood can also cause septum deviation. Septum deviations may also occur as a result of the bone and cartilage parts of the septum developing at different speeds during growth.
The most common symptom of septum deviation is difficulty breathing through the nose. Nasal congestion is usually on the side where the septum is tilted, but it can also cause difficulty breathing constantly on both sides or variable, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left.
The treatment for septum deviation is surgery and this surgery is called septoplasty. Nasal deviation surgery can be performed together with aesthetic nose surgery or separately.
Septoplasty surgery can be performed with both general and local anesthesia. However, my personal opinion and practice is that it is correct to perform aesthetic intervention and septoplasty surgery together, and therefore it is not practical and healthy to perform this surgery with local anesthesia. During the surgery, the septum is brought to its required midline position. During the surgery, the extremely curved parts of the septum are completely removed, and the parts that can be corrected are reshaped and placed back in place. At the end of the surgery, tampons are placed in both nasal cavities to keep the corrected septum in place. These tampons are usually removed on the second day following surgery.
- Your nose will be blocked due to the tampons placed after the surgery and you will need to breathe through your mouth.
- Tampons will cause increased nasal secretion and a pink colored discharge will be seen both in the front from the edge of the tampons and from the nasal passages. This is not bleeding and will continue until the tampons are removed, gradually decreasing after the surgery.
- Be careful not to bump your nose and do not move it with your hand to probe the surgery.
- Use the medications recommended by your doctor regularly.
- After tampons are removed, use your nasal spray regularly if your doctor recommends it.
- Do not blow your nose until your doctor gives permission. After the tampons are removed, you can clean your nose by gently pulling it.
- Never inhale tap water into your nose. You can take a bath, provided that it is not long and not too hot.
- After the surgery, a dry feeling and crusts may occur in the nose. To minimize these, breathe through your nose against the steam of a bowl of boiled water every 2-3 hours in the first days after taking tampons, and then 3-4 times a day.
- Full healing inside the nose will be completed within 2-6 weeks. During this period, go to the dressings and check-ups recommended by your doctor regularly.
There are centers in the nasal septum that determine the development of facial bones. Surgical treatment of septum derivations identified in childhood is generally not performed before the age of 17 in order not to disrupt these centers and bone development of the face. In adults, growth centers are not active and septoplasty surgeries do not have a negative effect on the shape of the face.
A second correction surgery may be required if the septum is displaced again during the healing phase within a few months following septoplasty surgery or after a new nasal trauma; The need for a second surgery occurs very rarely and occurs in less than 2% of patients who undergo surgery.
