Rhinoplasty and septoplasty are plastic surgery types concerning the nose. However, their roles are essentially different. As we will see, while septoplasty is an operation aiming at improving our health, rhinoplasty procedure is conducted for purely aesthetic reasons.
However, since the confusion of patients regarding both these procedures seems to rise rather than fall, we would like to dedicate this article to these two operations. We will explain what it is and isn’t and compare it with a regular nose job. Finally, we will ask – can these two be combined? Hopefully, after this piece, you will no longer live in doubt and confusion.
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What Is Septoplasty?
Septoplasty is a surgery conducted to correct the nasal septum deviation. What does it mean? The nasal septum is the part of the nose separating it into two nostrils. As all body parts, the nasal septum can become deviated either at birth or as a result of an accident. However, not always a deviated septum leads to complications. Only in more radical cases, it may obstruct the way the air enters your lungs, leading to increasing problems with breathing, especially during sleep. As such, nasal septum deviation is potentially a health- and life-threatening condition which may require an operation – septoplasty.
Septoplasty is conducted in order to straighten the septum and open the airways either by removing or replacing its parts in the process. As we see, it does not concern the look of one’s nose but rather its function.
Similarities and Differences between Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty
The biggest similarity between a nose job and septoplasty is the area concerned – both are performed on the patient’s nose. Additionally, as we will see later, patients often decide to combine the septoplasty procedure with a rhinoplasty in order to holistically improve their wellbeing in the form of health and aesthetic impression.
There are, though, far more differences between the two. Rhinoplasty is a purely cosmetic surgery, not concerning the nasal septum as long as it doesn’t have aesthetical repercussions. The main object of a nose job is to improve the outer look of the nose. To the contrary, it aims at improving the function of the nose by letting the air pass through it unobstructed. In order to do so, the nasal septum deviation is removed by resection and replacement of the deviated septum. As you can see, not every nose operation is a ‘nose job’.
Combining Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty
Even though essentially different, the efforts to correct the nasal septum deviation and achieve a beautiful nose may be combined. Moreover, many patients decide to go with such a double-thronged surgery.
The primary reason is the fact that both septoplasty and rhinoplasty are conducted on one’s nose. Normally, we would have to undergo two surgery preparations, two procedures, and two recovery periods. Some patients who had a nose job on their ‘to do list’ simply decide to have it done at the same time as septoplasty. This way they can have their deviated septum corrected and their nose reshaped to fit their self-image, all in the same surgery and with only one period of recovery. Additionally, such a combination decreases the overall costs of the procedure. The other, though a less common reason is a nice pretext – we often hear about celebrities who underwent a nose job to ‘deal with a deviated septum’. It mostly concerns people who are in the spotlight and want to avoid unnecessary commentaries.
Either way, the combination of rhinoplasty and septoplasty becomes quite popular and we see it as a positive development – achieving better health while meeting our aesthetic goals in the same procedure seems like a good solution. If you are considering septoplasty or rhinoplasty, please fill the form below and contact us, we find the best surgeons for you.