Nasal Septum Surgery
Helpful Information Regarding Nasal Septum Surgery
If you have a deviated septum, the only way to repair it is to have nasal septum surgery. Nasal septum surgery, or septoplasty, serves to clear blocked airways caused by a deviated septum and restore clear breathing. If you have a deviated septum and septoplasty has been recommended to you, you will likely have many questions regarding the procedure. You should speak to your doctor and voice any concerns that you may have, but this guide will be able to provide you with some basic information as well.
What is Septoplasty?
In a perfect world, your nasal septum should run up and down at a 90 degree angle in the center of your nose. 80% of the population, however, suffer from a deviated nasal septum. This means that your nasal septum is crooked and deviating into one of your nasal cavities, impeding the airflow.
Your deviated septum is the result of an excess of cartilage or bone. Septoplasty involves excising a small amount of these tissues that are blocking your airway. While you are placed under local or general anesthesia, your surgeon works his or her way through your nostrils and makes a small incision in the septum lining to reach the tissue marked for removal. Although it may sound very complex, it’s a fairly simple procedure, lasting only an hour in most cases. You will even be able to go home, barring any complications, within 3 – 4 hours of monitoring and recovery.
If you have blocked airways due to something other than or in addition to your deviated septum, there are other procedures that may be necessary. If you require septoplasty and another surgery, they can be done at the same time, to minimize your discomfort and kill two birds with one stone.
Nasal Septum Surgery Aftercare
After your procedure your surgeon will apply different nasal dressings along the septum inside your nose. In some cases, your surgeon may opt to pack your nose with material similar to a sponge, absorbable sutures, plastic splints, or even gauze. This can also help maintain your open airways since cartilage in this area has a tendency to return to its original shape.
Post-surgery, you may experience some swelling and bruising, but black eyes are rarely seen. Once you are home, there are certain things that you need to do to help your septum heal properly. For the 1st day or two you will have to frequently change out certain dressings (usually a piece of gauze that is taped beneath your nostrils to catch blood). This excess bleeding usually ceases within 2 days, and the dressing can then be removed.
The day after bleeding stops, your doctor may recommend that you squirt saline up your nose to help flush out clots and bacteria. It is very important that you not blow your nose until this point, and only very gently when you do. Blowing your nose can rupture your incisions and do a great deal of damage to your nasal septum. You should be able to resume nose-blowing after 2 weeks. The entire healing process takes about a month.
Risks
Septoplasty does have certain risks, but these are few and far between. Only a miniscule amount of these surgeries result in problems or odd little side effects.
One of the more common side effects you may see is a change in the external appearance of your nose. If a septal perforation occurs (hole in your septum) this can also change the appearance of your nose as well as cause a whistling sound when you breathe or crusting of the inside of your nose. Thankfully, perforations are very rare.
Numbness of your upper front teeth or the tip of your nose is also possible. It’s not terribly uncommon, but this generally clears up by itself after a few months. Only in especially rare occasions will this persist.
Significant amounts of bleeding are rare after surgery, but this can be reduced by not taking any aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs 10 day prior to the septoplasty.