Having a bend inside your nose does not automatically mean you need surgery. A deviated septum is very common, and in many people it causes no significant symptoms at all.
The real question: does it affect your breathing?
- Persistent or recurrent nasal blockage
- Mouth breathing during sleep
- Snoring
- Difficulty breathing during exercise
It can also affect the ears
Problems that come with nasal obstruction can sometimes affect the Eustachian tube, the channel that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose. This can cause a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears, frequently blocked ears, or recurrent middle-ear problems. The key is to confirm during the examination whether these symptoms are really related to the septum.
The examination looks beyond the septum
- The size of the turbinates
- Whether there is an allergy
- Any other cause narrowing the airway
When the deviation really is the cause of your symptoms, septoplasty corrects it through the nostrils, with no visible scars. In my practice it takes about one hour under general anaesthesia as a day-case procedure, and it can be combined with rhinoplasty if you would also like a change in shape.
This article is for general information and does not replace an examination. Personal advice requires a consultation.