Every years thousands of people get nasal surgeries and we are not talking about your run of the mill nose job, simply for aesthetic reasons. We are talking about surgeries with practical results which help millions of patients with breathing problems and this kind of nasal surgery is called “Functional Rhinoplasty”.
In many cases, functional nose surgery is preceded by years of suffering. If it is no longer possible in middle age to compensate for a nasal breathing obstruction without any problems, if a sinus disease escalates and conservative therapies have been exhausted, the surgical spectrum is ideal for effectively eliminating the symptoms. Here we look at just some examples of functional rhinoplasty.
Nasal septum surgery (septoplasty)
Nasal Septum Reconstruction, Nasal Septum Straightening
Almost everyone has a crooked or crooked nasal septum. First of all, this is not a problem and does not have to have any effect on the outer shape of the nose.
If the nasal septum is very crooked, it can severely impede nasal breathing. Additional factors such as allergies , chronic inflammation of the nasal mucous membrane, hormonal changes, changes in living conditions or living conditions can lead to swelling of the mucous membrane, so that a crooked nasal septum becomes a problem. This means that the patient has difficulty getting air through his nose.
If the underlying factors cannot be changed, straightening the nasal septum (septoplasty, septum reconstruction) is a good way to restore nasal breathing.
Turbinate surgery, conchotomy (conchotomy)
Laser Conchotomy, Radiofrequency Conchotomy, Turbinectomy, Turbinotomy
The turbinates regulate the flow of air through the nose. They are covered by mucous membrane and there is an erectile tissue inside. This erectile tissue is reduced by radio frequency technology, laser technology or even surgically. A conchotomy is performed as part of almost every functional operation on the nose.
The advantage of the conchotomy is that it can be performed quickly, there are few complications and there are few complaints after the operation. It is particularly suitable for people with a straight nasal septum and restricted nasal breathing. There is once again a detailed chapter on this under nasal obstruction due to enlarged nasal concha .
Exchange plastic
Extracorporeal Septal Reconstruction
If the nasal septum is badly bent, it may be necessary to carry out a so-called replacement plastic.
The cartilaginous part of the nasal septum is mainly completely removed, including all supporting elements of the nose. The nasal septum is then straightened outside the body on the operating table, usually by removing pieces of cartilage that are used as straightening bars.
The straightened nasal septum must then be reinserted and stabilized. This procedure is very demanding and carries the risk of changing the shape of the outer nose. However, sometimes it is not possible to do without this form of straightening the nasal septum.
Crooked nose correction
Surgery of a curvature of the outer nose; Therapy of a post-traumatic crooked nose
A crooked nose can occur after an accident. Sometimes the accident or trauma is unrecognizable or happened in early childhood.
The curvature of the outer nose usually also leads to a narrowing of the inner nose. The curvature of the outer nose is corrected by straightening the nasal septum as well as the outer nasal skeleton.
If the nose is curved towards the tip of the nose, straightening the nasal septum is sometimes sufficient. If the bony nasal framework is also affected, the bones must also be straightened, i.e. planned osteotomies must be performed. As a side effect of straightening the outer nose to improve nasal breathing, the aesthetic shape of the nose is also improved.
Expansion of the nasal valves
Surgery for a nasal valve stenosis
After aesthetic correction of the nose, especially if not enough attention is paid to the function of the nose, nasal breathing difficulties often occur. Because most of the time, patients want a smaller nose and a smaller nose will initially have less air going through than a larger nose. It is therefore important to always keep an eye on the function of the nose, even if the aesthetic change of the nose is in the foreground.
If a narrowing of the nasal valve has occurred after a rhinoplasty or trauma, or to avoid nasal valve stenosis in the event of a sharp reduction in the size of the nose, the nasal valve can be widened. For this purpose, cartilage pins are inserted under part of the nasal framework (so-called spreader grafts), which expand the nasal valve and can also have aesthetically pleasing effects.
Alternatively, if there is sufficient cartilage in the area of the lateral cartilage, auto spreader grafts or spreader flaps can be used. The lateral cartilage is folded over and cartilage is saved. Instead of a cartilage wedge from the nasal septum, the cartilage is used and stretched on site, thus expanding the nasal valve.
Conclusion
These are just some of the few examples of nasal specific medical surgeries that are performed every year by surgeons around the world and it just goes to show that whether you had breathing issues since your birth or were caused by an accident or some cosmetic surgery gone wrong, you can get them fixed thanks to advances in science.