Septoplasty is a corrective surgical procedure done to straighten the nasal septum, the partition between the two nasal cavities. Ideally, the septum should run down the center of the nose. When it deviates into one of the cavities, it narrows that cavity and impedes airflow. Often the inferior turbinate on the opposite side enlarges, which is termed compensatory hypertrophy.
Deviations of the septum can lead to nasal obstruction. Most surgeries are completed in 60 minutes or less, not including recovery time.The septum is the wall in the nose that separates the two nasal passages and supports the overall nasal structure. Patients who suffer from a deviated septum can experience a number of serious health concerns. Due to genetics or injury, the septum may become bent or broken, causing asymmetry between the nasal passages. As a result, patients may experience chronic sinusitis, inflammation, bleeding,headaches, sleep apnea and/or snoring. In these instances, patients are often good candidates for septoplasty — a surgical procedure that corrects the flaws in the septum. Enlarged turbinates can add to the above problems and usually associated with deviated septum. It can be unilateral or bilateral.
Most often, Septoplasty is a corrective surgical procedure done to straighten the nasal septum, the partition between the two nasal cavities. Ideally, the septum should run down the center of the nose. When it deviates into one of the cavities, it narrows that cavity and impedes airflow. Often the inferior turbinate on the opposite side enlarges, which is termed compensatory hypertrophy. Deviations of the septum can lead to nasal obstruction. Most surgeries are completed in 60 minutes or less, not including recovery time.The septum is the wall in the nose that separates the two nasal passages and supports the overall nasal structure.
Patients who suffer from a deviated septum can experience a number of serious health concerns. Due to genetics or injury, the septum may become bent or broken, causing asymmetry between the nasal passages. As a result, patients may experience chronic sinusitis, inflammation, bleeding,headaches, sleep apnea and/or snoring. In these instances, patients are often good candidates for septoplasty — a surgical procedure that corrects the flaws in the septum.
Enlarged turbinates can add to the above problems and usually associated with deviated septum. It can be unilateral or bilateral. Most often, turbinectomy is also performed at the time of septoplasty. Septoplasty and turbinectomy occasionally performed with endoscopic sinus surgery on patients with chronic sinusitis. Balloon Sinoplasty is a new less – invasive sinus procedure that involves enlargement of sinus draining outlet with specialized Balloon. This procedure can be performed under minimal local or conscious anesthesia.
Septoplasty Procedure
The procedure usually involves a judicious excision/ realignment of a portion of the bone and/or cartilage in the nasal cavity. Under general or local anesthesia, the surgeon works through the nostrils, making an incision in the lining of the septum to reach the cartilage targeted in the operation. Sufficient cartilage is preserved for structural support. After the septum is straightened, it may then be stabilized temporarily with small plastic tubes, splints, or sutures internally.
During septoplasty, Dr. Tavoussi creates small incisions in the nostrils through which he extracts or straightens the bent cartilage of the deviated septum. Dr. Tavoussi may also insert small splints or sutures to stabilize septum growth. In addition, he may suggest using saline nasal sprays to facilitate a healthy recovery.
Cost of Septoplasty Surgery
Septoplasty and turbinectomy are covered by most of the PPO Insurances and there are several cosmetic surgery financing options available to cover the cost of the procedure. It is always best to speak directly with our office staff to see if you are a candidate for Septoplasty. Call me Now!.
Our Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr.Tavoussi practices in Los Angeles, Orange County, CA. He is well known for his technical abilities and experience as well as his patient communication skills. His is not an expert surgeon in Septoplasty but also in other plastic and cosmetic surgeries such as Rhinoplasy, Breast Lift, Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, Liposuction, Tummy Tuck, Laser Hair Removal.
Our offices are in Los Angeles, phone and address.
Following cities are within 60 miles radius of our our office:
- Los Angeles
- Newport Beach
- Irvine
- Laguna Hills
- Mission Viejo
- Fountain Valley
- Aliso Viejo
- Santa Ana
- Anaheim
- Orange
All surgeries and cosmetic surgery procedures are performed in Pacifica Outpatient Surgery Center, a state-of-art, fully accredited outpatient surgery center in a safe and secure environment. We have board-certified anesthesiology staff who have had years of experience in outpatient anesthesia as well as local hospital privileges. Our nursing personnel are ACLS certified and have many years of experience working in operating and
recovery rooms at the local hospitals.
Safety of our patients are our primary concern and will not compromise this for any reason. We have maintained a Center of Excellence. All preoperative work ups are done according to the requirements of American Society of Anesthesiology and the prevailing standards of the community. During the initial consultation, Dr.Tavoussi will evaluate the structure of your face and discuss the possibilities for enhancement with you. Need to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Tavoussi? It’s easy to set up, let us know your name and phone number and we will call you. Click here “Call Me Now” to fill out the form and you are done!
You are not sure what it is going be like after the surgery? Send us your photo and changes you wish to make on your nose. It’s easy in 4 steps:
Go to this page “Surgical Simulation Software“
Let us know your name and phone number Upload your photo (2 would be preferred from two different directions)
Hit submit button, DONE!
Dr. Tavoussi will check your picture, he will use the “surgical 3-D image simulation software” to simulate your face and nose after the surgery with the changes you desire.
He will return to you then or you can set up an appointment with him to talk about the changes and the way you will look like after the surgery.
Patient Stories
“I had always been suffering from deviated nose and this surgery was kind of relief for me…”
Read more of patient stories about their experience in OC Cosmetic Surgery Clinique and Septoplasty
Septoplasty Surgery Related Topics:
Who is a good candidate for Septoplasty Surgery?
Many may think they are “stuffed up”all the time due to allergies. However, these allergies could be exaggerated by a deviated septum. If you have on-going problems breathing through your nose or repeated sinus infections, you should be seen by Dr. Tavoussi. Obviously, not all deviated septums cause nasal obstruction. Turbinate enlargement may also be the culprit. There are other problems that can cause breathing problems, so getting a diagnosis from Dr. Tavoussi is important. One Clue that you might need to see a physician about your nose and your breathing is if you are using nasal sprays on a daily basis. The buffered saline sprays are fine since these are not medicated. You should never use a medicated over the counter nasal spray for more than a few days at a time. If you feel the need to use these sprays for more than a week, you should definitely consult your doctor.
What to expect from a septoplasty procedure?
Your surgeon will give you a prescription painkiller and a list of post-operative instructions. It’s extremely important to follow these instructions very carefully to make sure your nose heals properly. Dr. Tavoussi does not the procedure without packing. Occasionally there is a splint placed inside when when a substantial amount of work is done on the septum. The splint is removed 4-6 days later. If your surgeon has covered your nose with a splint, you can have this removed in just about one week. If you have internal stitches, these will dissolve.
If you have external stitches, your surgeon will want to remove these in about one week. For the first week, your head will feel stuffy. This is due to swelling of the mucous membranes in your nose. This is normal and to be expected. The stuffiness will gradually decrease over the next few weeks, so please be patient. After this, you should notice an improvement in your nasal breathing. You will have 2-3 post-operative visits. The purpose of these visits is to clean and examine the operative site. This helps the healing and improves nasal breathing. Your first post-operative visit will typically be the next day or so. If everything is healing well, your last visit will be 10 to 14 days later but we keep seeing the patient if needed for up to one year.
Septoplasty Procedure Consultation with Dr. Tavoussi
If you feel like you would be a candidate for septoplasty or if you are experiencing any other functional nasal problems feel free to contact us. We accept most PPO insurances. You would be responsible for your co-pay upon visit. After the initial consultation, we will then let you know exactly what your benefits for this type of procedure would be.
Prior to Septoplasty Surgery
For the actual surgery, Antibiotic ointment (Bactrin or Polysporin) packs or frozen peas, 2 bottles Ocean Nasal Spray (or generic equivalent), and your prescriptions will need to be purchased. Two weeks before surgery, All aspirin and aspirin-like products (ibuprofen) need to be discontinued unless your medical doctor requires you to take it. (See list of medications containing aspirin and aspirin-like products.) Please let the doctor know if you must continue these medications.
After Septoplasty Surgery
The head needs to be elevated while resting during the first 24-48 hours after surgery. Patients will have to breath through the mouth since for the first few days, swelling may affect your breathing through your nose. It is normal to experience more sinus congestion, have some bleeding (excessive bleeding is not normal) and headaches may occur. You want to make sure you take it easy and get plenty of rest and fluids.
Septoplasty Procedure Recovery and Final Result
Patients who have had nasal and sinus surgery with packing can expect to be off of work for 4-7days. Some people can go back to work a few days after surgery but this varies considerably.is also performed at the time of septoplasty. Septoplasty and turbinectomy occasionally performed with endoscopic sinus surgery on patients with chronic sinusitis. Balloon Sinoplasty is a new less – invasive sinus procedure that involves enlargement of sinus draining outlet with specialized Balloon. This procedure can be performed under minimal local or conscious anesthesia.
