Septorhinoplasty: Fixing Breathing and Shape in One Operation
A large share of patients who struggle to breathe through their nose are also unhappy with how it looks — and few realise this is no coincidence. A deviated septum narrows the airway and contributes to visible crookedness. Septorhinoplasty addresses both problems under one anaesthetic, with one recovery.
What a Deviated Septum Is — and How It Shapes the Nose
The septum is the cartilage-and-bone wall dividing the nose into two passages. When deviated — congenitally or after trauma — it causes one- or two-sided obstruction, mouth-breathing at night, snoring and a tendency to sinus problems. Significant deviations also show externally as a crooked nose: function and aesthetics are two faces of the same anatomical problem.
This is why internal examination can never be skipped in a rhinoplasty consult: an operation that straightens the outside while leaving the inside blocked is half a job.
Why Combine Them in One Operation?
Separate septoplasty and rhinoplasty mean two anaesthetics, two recoveries and two costs. More importantly, the cartilage removed from the septum is the prime grafting material in rhinoplasty — separating the operations wastes it.
In the combined approach the airway is opened, the deviation corrected, grafts harvested from the same septum, and the external reshaping completed. One session, one splint, one recovery.
Examination and Planning
Assessment runs in two layers: functional (septum, turbinates, internal valve) and aesthetic (profile, tip, base). Both layers are mapped in every patient with breathing complaints, and the surgical plan is personalised to that map.
Most cases can be performed through the closed approach; complex deviations sometimes warrant open access for visibility — anatomy decides, not dogma.
Recovery and Results
Recovery closely mirrors standalone rhinoplasty: splint (and any internal silicone splints) out at day 5–7, social life at 7–10 days, sport from weeks 3–4. Breathing improvement is felt gradually as internal swelling resolves, with the durable functional result declaring itself at 2–3 months.
Our recovery guide applies in full, with an added internal-care and spray protocol specific to septal work.