Why Does Nasal Congestion Occur After Rhinoplasty? Solutions and Prevention Methods

#RevisionRhinoplasty #NoseSurgery #Rhinoplasty #Nose #Columella #DeviatedSeptum #Rhinitis #FunctionalRhinoplasty #FunctionalNoseSurgery #InferiorTurbinate #InternalNasalValve #ClosedRhinoplasty #PlasticSurgerySideEffects #NasalCongestion #StuffyNoseSolution #CausesOfStuffyNose #SurgerySideEffects #UberPlasticSurgery #SeoSeungJo #NoseSideEffects #RhinoplastySideEffects #DeviatedNose #CrookedNoseSymptoms

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Some people say they experience nasal congestion after getting rhinoplasty.

There are also those who say they have developed snoring.

Especially for those who feel their nose is stuffy even before surgery,

there is a growing trend of undergoing functional rhinoplasty to improve nasal congestion symptoms after surgery.

Therefore, to prevent further functional problems from occurring after surgery,

we at Uber Plastic Surgery examine you more meticulously and safely during consultations.

Today's topic will explore why functional problems occur after rhinoplasty

and what should be done to prevent these issues.

Why does the nose get stuffy after rhinoplasty?

Nasal congestion occurs as the space inside the nose narrows.

Symptoms of blockage due to temporary swelling mostly improve over time.

However, there are cases where this does not happen.

If we broadly divide it into two categories,

they are internal nasal deviation and internal nasal thickening.

What are the cases where the nose looks visibly crooked from the outside?

1. When the nasal tip is crooked

2. When the nostrils are asymmetrical

In fact, when the nostrils are asymmetrical,

even if the inside of the nose is wide open, it causes the most congestion.

Looking at the illustration above, there are cases where the nostril is narrowed at the bottom

and cases where it is narrowed at the top.

Many patients visit the clinic primarily complaining of nasal congestion when the lower part is narrowed,

but,

when it is narrowed at the top,

some patients visit because the internal nasal valve area is blocked.

When the internal nasal valve area is blocked, sensation in this area disappears after surgery,

so some people do not realize that a runny nose has formed until it drips down to the floor,

and only then do they realize they had a runny nose.

Quite a few people visit the clinic with these symptoms.

Next is the case where the columella is deviated, causing a blockage.

Deviated columella = Deviated strut

In this case, no matter how open the inside is,

it will inevitably cause nasal congestion.

Sometimes this happens because the nose was built incorrectly from the start,

but there must be a balance between the lifting force and the pressing force when building it up.

If this balance is not well-maintained,

it can gradually become crooked,

or the space can become narrow if it is built too thickly.

The entrance is limited, so if it is built up too much to make it sturdy,

the nose will eventually end up blocked.

Ultimately, the reasons for nasal congestion

are either the space narrowing and deviating due to a thick strut, or the strut itself deviating.

You can think of it as these two cases.

There are also cases where most patients suddenly

come in with only one nostril blocked after surgery.

Cases where the inside of the nose thickens and blocks are not very common,

and since it mostly deviates to one side, it is rare for both nostrils to be blocked.

Because it deviates to one side, one side is open

and the other side becomes narrow, so ultimately, it is all a strut problem.

When the lower part of the nose is blocked, it looks like this deviated strut.

As it deviates and blocks like this, the hole narrows, preventing air from entering and causing congestion.

Secondly, when this internal nasal valve area is blocked, it can be due to deviation,

but looking at the illustration, when performing a septal extension graft, these same areas inevitably become narrow.

If nasal congestion persists, it is a problem at the front of the nose,

but if you don't usually have nasal congestion but snoring worsens,

and you feel a lot of stuffiness in your nose, it can actually be seen as a problem further back.

Also, if you feel more congested when lying on one side,

it can be considered a case where a deviated septum was not corrected.

If there was an existing deviated septum that was not corrected,

or if the back part swells more or gets scarred after harvesting the septum,

adhesion of the inferior turbinate may occur.

What precautions should be taken before surgery?

If you look at the photo above,

the septum is deviated. What happens if it is extended as is while deviated?

The nose will become crooked.

Then, naturally, the internal nasal valve will inevitably become more blocked.

In this case, a septoplasty must be performed to correct the deviation from the back

so that the strut (septum) can go up straight.

Then, if nasal congestion occurs due to these various problems, can it be resolved?

Of course, it can be resolved.

If the strut is not deviated,

and it is maintained straight but you say it gets blocked when lying on one side or the other, there are such cases.

In such cases, some people undergo septoplasty to slightly correct just the bone part at the back.

That can also be a simple method.

If it cannot be resolved that way,

instead, leaving the septum deviated, the inferior turbinate is reduced to widen the back space.

In such cases, it can sometimes be done without touching the shape of the nose.

Also, there are people who say the shape of their nose and the side profile are fine,

but their nostrils are asymmetrical.

In this case, the nose may need to be opened again for correction,

but there are also cases where slightly adjusting the position of the strut through a closed approach is sufficient.

Ultimately, how the strut was built during surgery is the most important factor.

There are cases where the septum cannot be moved as a whole.

There are also cases where the strut must be completely separated and re-grafted.

In such cases, you wait 6 months and then perform revision surgery by opening the nose with an open approach.

- When blocked because the internal nasal valve is thick

- When blocked because the strut was built too thickly

Cases where the nose is blocked because the strut is built thickly are actually tricky.

During rhinoplasty, there are cases where the strut is built thickly.

This is to build the strut high and prevent it from collapsing.

If the strut is built thinly, it naturally cannot bear the force,

and if it cannot bear the force, the height must be lowered.

If nasal congestion can be prevented before rhinoplasty, what methods are there?

Actually, if judged well from the operating surgeon's perspective,

as a method to prevent nasal congestion before rhinoplasty,

I highly recommend taking a CT scan.

Taking a CT scan before surgery and accurately assessing the internal state of the nose before operating.

It is necessary to accurately determine whether the probability of blockage at the back might increase, or at the front,

or whether it might deviate when built up.

This accurate judgment is what is needed.

Also, after surgery, it is crucial to continuously

check the internal state of the nose well for up to a month.

This is because there are cases where early correction can be done quickly.

Therefore, after surgery, the outside is not actually what's important,

but the inside of the nose is the most important,

and only when there are no problems inside

do I believe the possibility of problems occurring on the outside of the nose significantly drops.

You can consider that temporary nasal congestion mostly improves within a month.

Most cases improve in about 2 weeks,

but if it does not improve quickly, it is highly likely to be a structural problem inside the nose.

I hope you meet with a specialist and get a consultation.

Getting a consultation, taking a CT scan, and analyzing the situation to see to what extent it can be resolved

through counseling is also considered an important preventive method.

💖If you want a quick consultation?

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