Septoplasty is a surgical procedure that is done to fix a deviated nasal septum.
A deviated septum occurs when the plate of cartilage and bone that separates your nostrils is out of position - you may be born with this or it may be caused by injury. This can cause breathing problems, nosebleeds, and pain.
The main goal of Septoplasty is to correct the alignment of your septum in order to improve airflow through your nose.
Tip-plasty is a procedure performed to correct the nasal tip. By refining the nasal tip, the bottom third of the nose can change the appearance of an individual in subtle yet profoundly dramatic ways. Raising the angle, refining the width and reducing some of the fullness of the nose are common objectives of this kind of nose reshaping. It can be performed to reduce the ‘tip’ of a nose and bring it into proportion with the rest of the features of the face.
People whose tip of the nose does not balance with the nostrils and nasal bridge are good candidates. Tip-plasty helps proportion the nose to the face.
The nasal septum is the structure between the nostrils that separates the nasal passages. The septum, composed of cartilage and thin bone, can develop a hole (perforation) in the cartilage as a complication of previous nasal surgery, from cocaine use, excessive nose picking, trauma, cancer, or diseases such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or syphilis. As damage reduces blood supply in the septum, the cartilage begins to die, and a hole develops.Some perforations can cause bleeding, pain, and a whistling sound when inhaling. If dried blood or scabs build up, you could also have trouble breathing through your nose.
Several surgical techniques may be used to close a larger perforation. I may use tissue from inside your nose or from another part of your body (autograft) to stitch into the hole. I may also use tissue to create a flap to cover the perforation.
A Titanium Breathe Implant is a small, carefully fashioned sheet made of the metal titanium, which is used to improve breathing through the nose in people with narrow noses, a narrow nasal valve or nasal valve collapse.
The nasal valve is the space just over 1cm beyond the front of the nose. In everyone, it is the narrowest point of the inside of the nose. Because of this, it is the most important area in regulating the flow of air through the nose into the lungs. Even small changes in the size or aperture of the nasal valve can affect the flow of air through the nose significantly.
The size of the nasal valve itself does vary from person to person. In fact, it is not necessarily the case that someone with a big nose will have a big nasal valve and vice versa. It is possible to have a reasonably sized nose but for the lower half to be ‘pinched’, causing a narrowing at the valve area, which in turn will give a tendency towards having a blocked nose.
Alternatively, the size of the nasal valve may be perfectly adequate, but the strength of the side walls of the nose (usually made up of skin, fat and cartilage) may be weaker than normal. This can happen due to the normal ageing process, after an injury or accident or following previous nasal surgery. A weak sidewall will be less able to resist the tendency of the nose to collapse inwards, particularly when breathing hard such as during exertion.
This is a relatively new technique which has been developed specifically for people with nasal valve problems. It is likely that you will be suffering from a blocked nose, which can either occur all of the time or after exertion such as exercise, or during sleep. There are of course many other possible causes of a blocked nose and it is important for your ENT specialist to examine you in order to rule out some of the other possibilities such as allergy, deviated nasal septum, sinusitis or nasal polyps.
If I feel that your blocked nose is due to a narrow nasal valve, a Titanium Breathe implant may be beneficial for you. Being many times stronger than stainless steel, the titanium strengthens up the side walls of the nose such that it resists collapse, even during exertion. This will mean that the nasal valve should stay open thereby allowing you to breathe. In addition, because of its remarkable strength, the implant can be made to be extremely thin, which minimises its visibility externally.
During Nasoendoscopy I look into your nose (nasal passage), throat (pharynx) and voice box (larynx) using an endoscope. This is a thin, flexible telescope. The endoscope is passed through your nose to the space behind your nose (the nasopharynx).
It is currently the preferred initial method of evaluating medical problems such as nasal stuffiness and obstruction, sinusitis, nasal polyps, nasal tumours, and epistaxis (nose bleeds). During the endoscopy, I can search for: areas of swelling in the mucosal membranes, presence of purulent secretions (pus) draining from the sinus openings, enlargement of the nasal turbinates (internal nasal structures that humidify the nose), crookedness of the nasal septum (the wall that separates the two sides of your nose); presence of polyps; sites of nasal bleeding; and the presence of tumors within the nasal and sinus cavities. If pus is observed, it may be sampled and cultured with a small swab to determine what organism is causing the infection.
Septoplasty is a surgical procedure that is done to fix a deviated nasal septum.
A deviated septum occurs when the plate of cartilage and bone that separates your nostrils is out of position - you may be born with this or it may be caused by injury. This can cause breathing problems, nosebleeds, and pain.
The main goal of Septoplasty is to correct the alignment of your septum in order to improve airflow through your nose.
Tip-plasty is a procedure performed to correct the nasal tip. By refining the nasal tip, the bottom third of the nose can change the appearance of an individual in subtle yet profoundly dramatic ways. Raising the angle, refining the width and reducing some of the fullness of the nose are common objectives of this kind of nose reshaping. It can be performed to reduce the ‘tip’ of a nose and bring it into proportion with the rest of the features of the face.
People whose tip of the nose does not balance with the nostrils and nasal bridge are good candidates. Tip-plasty helps proportion the nose to the face.
The nasal septum is the structure between the nostrils that separates the nasal passages. The septum, composed of cartilage and thin bone, can develop a hole (perforation) in the cartilage as a complication of previous nasal surgery, from cocaine use, excessive nose picking, trauma, cancer, or diseases such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or syphilis. As damage reduces blood supply in the septum, the cartilage begins to die, and a hole develops.Some perforations can cause bleeding, pain, and a whistling sound when inhaling. If dried blood or scabs build up, you could also have trouble breathing through your nose.
Several surgical techniques may be used to close a larger perforation. I may use tissue from inside your nose or from another part of your body (autograft) to stitch into the hole. I may also use tissue to create a flap to cover the perforation.
A Titanium Breathe Implant is a small, carefully fashioned sheet made of the metal titanium, which is used to improve breathing through the nose in people with narrow noses, a narrow nasal valve or nasal valve collapse.
The nasal valve is the space just over 1cm beyond the front of the nose. In everyone, it is the narrowest point of the inside of the nose. Because of this, it is the most important area in regulating the flow of air through the nose into the lungs. Even small changes in the size or aperture of the nasal valve can affect the flow of air through the nose significantly.
The size of the nasal valve itself does vary from person to person. In fact, it is not necessarily the case that someone with a big nose will have a big nasal valve and vice versa. It is possible to have a reasonably sized nose but for the lower half to be ‘pinched’, causing a narrowing at the valve area, which in turn will give a tendency towards having a blocked nose.
Alternatively, the size of the nasal valve may be perfectly adequate, but the strength of the side walls of the nose (usually made up of skin, fat and cartilage) may be weaker than normal. This can happen due to the normal ageing process, after an injury or accident or following previous nasal surgery. A weak sidewall will be less able to resist the tendency of the nose to collapse inwards, particularly when breathing hard such as during exertion.
This is a relatively new technique which has been developed specifically for people with nasal valve problems. It is likely that you will be suffering from a blocked nose, which can either occur all of the time or after exertion such as exercise, or during sleep. There are of course many other possible causes of a blocked nose and it is important for your ENT specialist to examine you in order to rule out some of the other possibilities such as allergy, deviated nasal septum, sinusitis or nasal polyps.
If I feel that your blocked nose is due to a narrow nasal valve, a Titanium Breathe implant may be beneficial for you. Being many times stronger than stainless steel, the titanium strengthens up the side walls of the nose such that it resists collapse, even during exertion. This will mean that the nasal valve should stay open thereby allowing you to breathe. In addition, because of its remarkable strength, the implant can be made to be extremely thin, which minimises its visibility externally.
During Nasoendoscopy I look into your nose (nasal passage), throat (pharynx) and voice box (larynx) using an endoscope. This is a thin, flexible telescope. The endoscope is passed through your nose to the space behind your nose (the nasopharynx).
It is currently the preferred initial method of evaluating medical problems such as nasal stuffiness and obstruction, sinusitis, nasal polyps, nasal tumours, and epistaxis (nose bleeds). During the endoscopy, I can search for: areas of swelling in the mucosal membranes, presence of purulent secretions (pus) draining from the sinus openings, enlargement of the nasal turbinates (internal nasal structures that humidify the nose), crookedness of the nasal septum (the wall that separates the two sides of your nose); presence of polyps; sites of nasal bleeding; and the presence of tumors within the nasal and sinus cavities. If pus is observed, it may be sampled and cultured with a small swab to determine what organism is causing the infection.
