SOLUTION FOR NASAL BLEEDING AND SNORING
A deviated septum may prove more difficult to manage with the onset of allergies and other nasal passage-blocking ailments.
Do you have trouble inhaling through one or both nostrils? Are you subject to frequent nose bleeds? Do your partners accuse you of being a noisy sleep-breather? A deviated septum might be to blame, but fear not: it's treatable.
A deviated
septum results when the cartilage-and-bone barrier wall between the
nostrils strays to one side such that one nasal passage is bigger than
the other, potentially making it harder for air to flow in and out of
the nose. In most cases, you're born with a deviated septum or you
acquire on through nasal injury: Because facial anatomy isn't perfectly
symmetrical in the vast majority of humans, many noses show some degree
of septum deviation, according to Abtin Tabaee, M.D.
associate professor in the department of otolaryngology at Weill Cornell
Medicine in New York. Treatment is typically only considered in cases
of significant nasal obstruction, and while deviated septum surgery can
correct the condition, whether or not it's worth the cost and recovery
time is a subjective question.
"Ultimately, this is a patient quality-of-life issue rather a medically harmful condition," Tabaee told Women's Health. "Treatment is therefore based on the severity of the patient’s symptoms."
A
deviated septum may prove more difficult to manage with the onset
of allergies and other nasal passage-blocking ailments. Evaluation will
require a patient's complete medical history, consultation with an
otolaryngologist (or ear, nose, and throat doctor—ENT), and an
endoscopy, which entails sticking a lighted, camera-tipped tube up a
patient's nose to take a look inside the nasal passages. Treatment might
constitute medication for allergies or rhinitis conditions, Tabaee
said, but if a deviated septum really interferes with the patient's
daily life, surgery might be a worthwhile route.
Deviated
septum surgery, or septoplasty, repositions the nasal septum in the
center of the nasal cavity, moving the bone and cartilage through the
mucous and skin layer lining the nose. This shouldn't change the
patient's facial appearance at all (unless the patient has also
requested rhinoplasty), but the surgery is often performed together with
other procedures to improve nasal obstruction.
Septoplasty
is typically an outpatient procedure performed in an operating room,
Tabaee said, for which patients can expect to miss two to three days of
work if they're employed. Post-surgery pain and mild bleeding often
linger for a day or two, while tissue swelling and nasal congestion can
last for one to two weeks. Patients can expect to use a saline spray or
rinse, and to meet with their surgeon for periodic cleanings during
recovery. But, according to Tabaee, the procedure is low-risk and "generally highly successful."
So if your deviated septum is causing you habitual discomfort and
eternal stuffiness, consult with a doctor to see if you might be a good
candidate for septoplasty.
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