Rhinoplasty For A Reason: How A Nose Job Corrects A Deviated Septum

Many people get a nose job, or rhinoplasty, just to look visually pleasing. However, there is another side to this cosmetic procedure, one which helps people breathe better. Patients with deviated septa suffer from all kinds of sinus and breathing problems. When pills do not fix the problem, rhinoplasty can. If you have tried just about every other treatment for a deviated septum, it is time to consider surgery. Here is how the procedure unfolds.

Visit a Plastic Surgeon for Assessment

About 80% of the world's population have some form of a deviated septum. It may be so mild that it goes unnoticed for years, or it may be so extreme that infants and children have to have rhinoplasty to correct it. As an adult, symptoms make a deviated septum more pronounced. Visiting a plastic surgeon and having your nose assessed is the first step to fewer nose bleeds, fewer sinus infections and even fewer headaches. The plastic surgeon will determine how severe your situation is and then show you what he or she can do.

The Actual Surgery

The surgeon will first cut the septum, or the cartilage which goes up the interior middle of your nose, and pull it out and back. Next, the surgeon uses a small bone grinder to either remove bone or sand it down to the shape and size he or she wants it to be. Then some of the cartilage from your septum is cut away and the septum is moved over to one side. Since most people's septa developed more to the right or to the left and not in center, the objective of your surgeon is to reposition your septum directly in the middle before sewing it back into place.

Post-Operative Care and Preventive Measures

Because your nose will bleed and drain a lot while it heals, the surgeon will insert tubes into your nose that will allow you to breathe until the bleeding stops and the swelling goes down. He or she will also pack a lot of cotton or sterile gauze into your newly designed nose to help curtail the bleeding and keep the septum from shifting around until it is fully healed. Additional care instructions go home with you the same day of the surgery.

Follow-Up

In about a week or two, you will meet with your plastic surgeon to see how your new nose is healing. After about a month, it may still be a little bruised, but you will be able to breathe through it just fine. In fact, now that your septum has been corrected through the wonders of plastic surgery, you should be able to breathe better than you ever did before.