Deviated Septum

The nasal septum is the wall of cartilage and bone that divides the nostrils into two and ensures the smooth airflow. It may not always be straight in the midline.

Although septum deviation is seen in most people, it does not have to be operated in any case because it does not anyway lead to clinical complaints. Surgery is needed if this deviation causes difficulty breathing, noisy breathing during sleep, sinusitis, headache, and frequent nosebleeds.

Septum deviation may not be the only reason of preventing the airflow. A detailed medical examination may reveal the narrowing of internal or external valves (the narrowest areas where air enters) in addition to the deviated septum. Therefore, additional nasal valve surgery may be needed.

Before the Surgery
A detailed medical history is obtained, the patient is examined, the expectations of the patient is learnt, the patient is informed about surgery, the potential post-surgery results are mutual evaluated, photographs are taken, the necessary tests and examinations are performed.

Surgery
The surgery takes about 1 hour under general anesthesia to obtain a natural appearance. Additional procedures (nasal aesthetics, nasal valve surgery, nasal tip aesthetics, chin aesthetics, cheekbone aesthetics) may be needed depending on the patient's nasal structure. Special bandage, and if necessary, silicone nasal pad may be performed.

After the Surgery
Feeding begins in a short time. Cold should be applied in the first 24 hours. The patient can have bath the next day without getting the bands wet. The tamponade is removed within 2-3 days and the bandage within 7 days. The patient can return to work after 1 week, do light exercises after 2 weeks and heavy exercises after 4 weeks and wear glasses after 3-4 weeks. Bruising and swelling on the face may be seen very rarely, but they lasts 1-2 weeks. The patient recovers at the end of 6 months to 1 year completely. (The timeframes may vary depending on the additional procedures.)