Do I have a deviated septum? Would septoplasty help my breathing? (Photos)

Hello and thank you for your question.

Although an exam in person is ideal with an intranasal evaluation, from your images alone it appears that you have a deviated septum with significant turbinate hypertrophy (large inferior turbinates). You can likely benefit from a turbinate reduction, a septoplasty where the deviated septum is revised, excised, and re-set as necessary; any further breathing difficulty can also be improved with spreader grafting -- health insurance can cover all this at minimal cost to you☝️ If you have any cosmetic concerns, a rhinoplasty can also be performed.

The next step for you is to pursue the right plastic surgeon for your septoplasty, with or without a rhinoplasty. In your consultation, be sure your surgeon addresses all your functional (and aesthetic) goals and concerns specifically, IN PERSON, and discusses the surgery details including the position and size of the incisions used (with actual photographs and not just digital animations), the risks and benefits of the procedure, recovery time, and post-operative course. I also think a key component of your consultation is to establish a good connection with your plastic surgeon. This is difficulty to do without seeing your surgeon in the office, in person. It’s the connection that allows you to clearly define your desired nose outcome goals, the first step of this whole process. If you don’t feel you have a good connection with your plastic surgeon after your consultation, he/she may not be the best surgeon for you.

For more information on septoplasty, please refer to my link below.

Good luck.

Mark K Markarian, MD, MSPH, FACS
Harvard-trained Board Certified Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

This is one of the least deviated septums I've ever seen, in the sense that usually everyone has a deviated septum but it might not necessarily be symptomatic. What' smost telling on these scans is that you seem to have huuuge inferior turbinates - I think that is more likley the cause of your issues breathing.

Hello and thank you for your question. I always advise having an in person intranasal evaluation in order to determine if you need septoplasty rather than just imaging alone which can be misleading. I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified rhinoplasty surgeon who can evaluate you in person.

Best wishes and good luck.

Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Your septum is deviated and you would benefit from a septoplasty. Also, your turbinates need to be evaluated. You need a physical examination to see the actual cause/s of nasal obstruction is and determine a treatment plan.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.