I have trouble breathing through my nose. My doctor says it looks OK and I don't need a rhinoplasty. What should I do?

There are many reasons that patients experience symptoms of nasal obstruction.  These can include structural abnormalities such as a deviated septum, narrowing of the mid-vault, and nostril collapse. Functional causes of nasal obstruction include swelling of the nasal passages secondary to... more

Difficulty breathing through your nose can be alleviated through other procedures that do not alter the shape of your nose.  Procedures such as Septoplasty, Turbinate reduction or spreader grafts , are performed to improve a person’s functional breathing from within the nose which allows better... more

Nasal obstruction is rarely able to be diagnosed from an external examination.  Even an internal examination may not provide adequate assessment of nasal airflow in a few cases. Your best bet is to have a specialist evaluate your nose.  Most Facial Plastic Surgeons are trained primarily in... more

You should make an appointment with a board certified Otolaryngologist (ENT). Tell them your history, have them examine your nose, and give you a diagnosis of why you are having breathing problems. You may have allergies, enlarged inferior turbinates, nasal septal deviation, collapse of your nasal valves,... more

I am not sure who examined your nose and gave you that advice, but I would imagine that something is being missed if you have subjective symptoms of nasal obstruction. I am not sure that a Rhinoplasty is what you need for functional improvement. It is more likely that septal surgery or turbinate surgery would... more

Nasal obstruction is a complicated issue that is all too often ignored or attributed to “allergies,” “sinuses,” or to a “deviated septum.” Here at Profiles we often have patients who present to us who have been previously evaluated by other physicians who were unable to... more