If you don’t know what a deviated septum is, it’s when the piece of cartilage separating your nostrils is off-center, blocking one of your airways. Many people with a deviated septum are confined to breathing out their mouth, which can make exercising and sleeping difficult.
Those who have trouble breathing through their nose often choose to get surgery for it to improve their life. Surgery for a deviated septum is called septoplasty, and it’s done by either an ENT specialist or a facial plastic surgeon in Los Angeles. Luckily, our office employs both!
The purpose of septoplasty is to help your nose breathe better, and because it’s a purely functional procedure, it’s often covered by insurance. Since a doctor will also be operating on your nose, you may ask them to make cosmetic changes, as well.
Cosmetic adjustments during a septoplasty procedure actually turn it into a septorhinoplasty procedure. This may or may not be covered by your insurance. It’s possible your health insurance will cover the functionality part of the procedure, leaving you to pay out of pocket for the additional fee for reshaping your nose’s appearance.
A Los Angeles septorhinoplasty procedure can be done under local or general anesthesia and involves trimming, repositioning, and even replacing cartilage or bone. The procedure often works via incisions through the inside of the nose, leaving no visible scarring. Sometimes, the doctor will need to make a small incision between the nostrils.
Depending on how your septum is deviated, the doctor may need to cut off parts of your septum to reposition the smaller bones. Sometimes you will need a spreader graft to truly reinforce the straightening of your septum bones and cartilage even after your surgery. Rest assured, you will emerge from your deviated septum surgery with clearer airways, even if they aren’t noticeable right away.
You may not notice any significant changes until three to six months after surgery. The recovery process is long, and you will have to wear gauze in your nostrils and continue breathing through your mouth. Especially with cosmetic changes, you may not fully see your new nose until a whole year after the surgery.
If your deviated septum causes your nasal difficulties, you should notice an improvement in the months after your surgery. Unfortunately, the nasal bones and cartilage can naturally shift after your surgery. It’s not uncommon for people to return to their surgeon’s office for another procedure several years later.
Our doctors do everything we can to ensure that you are happy with your results. With a perfect 5-star rating on Real Self, our patients report high satisfaction from our surgeries. When it comes to something like your nose, you deserve the best doctor around, and you can find that at Westside Face.