Are you stuffed up a lot? Do you suffer from frequent nosebleeds or sinus infections? Do you snore?

Chances are you might have a deviated septum.

What Is A Deviated Septum?

The septum is the internal wall that divides your nose into its left and right sides. In an ideal world, both sides are equal, but this is often not the case. While a slightly deviated septum is not a problem, some septums are so crooked that they block airflow. Some people are born with severely deviated septums. Others find their septums shifting as they age. Septums can also be easily knocked out of place by sports injuries or traffic accidents.

What Surgical Solutions Are Available For A Deviated Septum?

Septoplasty, a surgical procedure to fix a deviated septum, is usually covered by insurance. Typically, a small incision is made inside the nose to separate the mucous membrane from the septum. The portion of the bone or cartilage that is causing the deviations to the septum is addressed to reposition the septum to the midline. Typically, surgery typically take one hour. In fact, people often schedule the procedure for a Friday as a weekend usually provides enough recovery time.

What Is Septorhinoplasty?

People can get aesthetic improvements made to their nose at the same time their septum is fixed. This explains why so many celebrities who go in for a deviated septum also emerge with new noses! Reshaping the external appearance of the nose is called rhinoplasty.When you get both the inside and the outside work done at the same time, it's called septorhinoplasty.  

Besides having a good looking nose, we want to make sure your nose can perform what it is intended to do which is to breathe.

My work with clients starts well before surgery in the pre-op consultation phase. It's important that I understand each person's aesthetic goals and expectations and take the time to communicate what's possible technically.

Rhinoplasty is a very technique-oriented surgery. Each change to the underlying cartilage and bone structure of the nose affects everything else. For example, increasing the height to the tip of the nose will change the way the nostrils appear. Each step needs to be discussed and planned before surgery, which typically takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

By the time patients enter surgery, they have a true understanding of how they will look post-surgery. Often times when I meet with a client for their six-month follow-up, I ask if they've run into friends they haven't seen for awhile. The comment people hear the most is that they look great, but they can't pinpoint what's changed. Their new nose has improved their appearance while maintaining their individuality and identity.

This natural and subtle improvement to their looks is an ideal goal for any plastic surgery and epitomizes my personalized--as opposed to mass production--approach. If you're looking for a plastic surgeon in Manhattan who can offer a natural, individualized, compassionate approach to looking like yourself, only better, call my office to schedule a consultation.

"Redoing" a prior nose job that left you unsatisfied is a daunting task.  To help prospective patients with this process, I have included three factors you should know prior to considering revision rhinoplasty.

1.) How long ago was your prior nose surgery? And what region of the nose you are concerned about?

Complete healing from a prior nose surgery can take up to a full year. This is especially true to at the tip of the nose. This region is the most cosmetically sensitive and the last to completely heal. Anxious patients looking to remedy some expected postoperative healing by having another surgery could potentially cause more problems.  For patients concerned about the shape or position of their tip, I typically recommend waiting a full year before considering revising the nose.

The bridge of the nose is less gravity dependent than the tip and tends to
“settle” faster.  This region can be assessed earlier than the tip for revisions.

2.) You may need additional grafts or implants to achieve the revision you are looking for.

When a patient whose surgery was previously done elsewhere comes in for a revision nasal surgery, one of the first things I consider is how preserved is his/her nasal anatomy.  In the past, prior nasal surgeries frequently altered the underlying nasal cartilage, weakening the nose and ultimately distorting the shape of the nose.  This has potentially impaired the true function of the nose (which is to breathe).  When this occurs, the nasal framework needs to be reconstructed.  To do so, I recommend using cartilage grafts in the region of the tip. 

Ideally the source for this graft would be from inside your nose (the nasal septum) but frequently, prior nasal surgeries have used all available cartilage inside your nose.  Alternative sources for cartilage grafting material for revision surgeries can be from your ear, your rib, or banked/donated rib.

3.) How long will the revision rhinoplasty take to heal?

In general, revision rhinoplasties take longer to heal.  Factors that contribute to how long it takes to heal are: amount of grafts used during the surgery and the amount of work done.  In general, the nose for redo rhinoplasties takes about one year.

Have more questions about revision rhinoplasty that I didn't answer here? Then I invite you to contact me today to find out more information about correcting a nose job that you're just not satisfied with. 

Reduction rhinoplasty is the medical term used to describe nasal surgery intended to reduce the over all size of the nose. 

When I talk to patients about nasal aesthetics, specifically reduction rhinoplasty, I tell them that the nose should be addressed in two distinct subunits: the bridge and the tip regions.

Most patients interested in reduction rhinoplasty, want the "bump" on their nose to be taken down.  This typically refers to the nasal dorsum or bridge of the nose.  

Other patients wanting to reducing the size of the nose may have a tip position aesthetically too far from the face (sometimes referred to as a Pinocchio nose).

To address these changes and to maintain proper nasal proportion, reduction rhinoplasty frequently needs to address both regions of the nose.  Meaning changes to the bridge will effect the tip appearance and vice versa.

To help understand these aesthetics, during your initial consultation, I will use a digital program of your nose to help show the intended changes.