Deviated septums are a common problem that many people have. Statistics show that about 80 percent of the population has a deviated or crooked septum upon a medical professional’s physical examination. The reality is that many people don’t experience any symptoms of their deviated septum. However, if you do, you’ll need to undergo a septorhinoplasty in LA.
A septoplasty is a type of medical surgery that aims to correct the septum inside the nose to promote better breathing. There is a slight incision made inside of the nose that gives your head and neck doctors easy access to the cartilage and bone that make up the septum.
Inside of your nose, there is a small flat area that consists of bone and cartilage. This area separates the two sides of your nose. This flat area is formally called the nasal septum. As you learned above, this septum can be deviated or crooked and needs to be fixed to assist with better breathing. A deviated septum can be a result of a birth defect or nasal trauma.
This is a type of medical surgery that aims to reduce the size of the nose’s inferior turbinates. A submucous resection is common for patients who have enlarged turbinates that cause complicating symptoms with breathing. This surgery will be performed alongside the septoplasty to help the patient breathe better.
Nasal turbinates are not a feature of the nose that many people are familiar with. However, everyone has three turbinates housed within each nostril. The turbinates work to humidify and warm the air that we breathe in. In some cases, the turbinate closest to the bottom of your nose, known as the inferior turbinate, can become enlarged. When this happens, breathing through the nose becomes more difficult.
Experienced head and neck doctors in Los Angeles can assist you with diagnosing either of these conditions. The first line of treatment that these professionals recommend is using allergy and sinus medications to treat your nasal breathing problem.
Doctors will recommend three types of medication. These include decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal steroid sprays. Only once these treatments are deemed unsuccessful will your doctor consider recommending a septoplasty surgery in Los Angeles.
While you learned above that many people who have a deviated septum don’t experience symptoms, a select few do. Understanding what these symptoms are can assist you in determining what course of treatment is best for your body. Here are the most common symptoms that a person with a severely deviated septum will experience:
A deviated septum surgery in Los Angeles is performed by an experienced head and neck surgeon. This type of surgery can be performed fairly quickly and will have you leaving the hospital on the same day. This type of surgery doesn’t usually carry any major risks other than those commonly associated with surgery, including infection and excess bleeding.
Once the septorhinoplasty in LA is completed, the doctor will package the nose with dissolvable packaging. This ensures that you don’t have to worry about removing it. However, you’ll need to head back to your doctor in about five to seven days after the surgery to get the internal nose splints removed. These are placed at the time of the surgery to keep the newly repositioned septum in place.
Your surgeon will require an additional follow-up treatment about two to six weeks after the Los Angeles septoplasty procedure is performed. They will evaluate the healing of your nose and determine how effective the surgery was.
When a deviated septum is being fixed by a surgeon, they make a small incision inside of your nose. The septum is initially trimmed. Then, the surgeon will reposition it and put in dissolvable sutures. These sutures help to ensure that you don’t have to worry about getting any stitches removed post-surgery.
Throughout the entire surgery, you’ll be under general anesthesia. This way, you don’t feel the actions of your surgeon, and there’s no risk of you unintentionally moving during the procedure. Shortly after the surgery is completed, the anesthesia will wear off, and you can head on home.
After your deviated septum repair in Los Angeles is completed, the doctor should provide you with a list of self-care instructions that you’ll need to follow. It’s very likely that you’ll have to deal with some crusting and bloody drainage from the nose over the first few weeks after surgery.
You’ll need to spray a saline solution inside of the nasal cavity each day to assist with healing. This spraying should be done multiple times a day for up to four weeks after the surgery. Another recommendation is to use Afrin nasal spray to ensure there is minimal nasal congestion post-surgery. You’ll be advised not to blow your nose for about two weeks after the surgery is completed.
If you’ve been having issues with nasal breathing, you’ve likely scheduled an appointment with your general practitioner or a nose specialist. You’ll want to properly prepare yourself before your appointment to ensure an optimal outcome. It’s very easy to get sidetracked at your appointment and forget things that you wanted to ask.
For this reason, we highly recommend writing down your questions. Anything that you have related to this condition that you would like to discuss with your doctor should be on your notepad. Anything from sinus problems to nosebleeds should be notated. If you’ve tried decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal sprays in the past, you’ll want to let your doctor know about this. Once the experienced doctors at Westside Head & Neck have a full understanding of your nasal and sinus history, they can formulate a plan for setting you on a path to better breathing and nasal health.