Breathing Difficulty Through a Nostril After Rhinoplasty

Question

I had a Rhinoplasty, now I can't breathe through my right nostril. It also looks weird. What do you think has happened? Is it normal? Or is it going to stay permanent?

C. Spencer Cochran, MD · Answer

Following rhinolasty, some patients complain of breathing diffculties.  For many, these breathing problems are transient and improve after the first month of surgery.  If breathing problems persist, this may indicate that the breathing obstruction may not improve on its own.
There are several reasons why patients continue to have breathing problems after rhinoplasty. These fall into two major categories: (1) Structural / Anatomic, and (2) Functional.
Structural or Anatomic problems of the nasal framework include:

Residual deviation of the septum
Internal valve collapse from inward collapse of the bridge
External valve collapse from poor support to the nostril sidewalls
Blockage from scar tissue.

Physiologic or functional breathing problems are often related to swelling of the turbinates and inflammation of the nasal lining from allergies.
Seek the advice of a revision rhinoplasty specialist who can address both the function and structural aspects of your breathing problems.

Jerome Edelstein, MD · Answer

Swelling shortly after surgery can make breathing a little more difficult. However, this will subside as the swelling goes down and your body recovers.

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

It's hard to say what's going on with your nose without seeing it. A lot depends on how long ago your surgery was. It's normal to have some temporary congestion in the first few weeks after surgery. If it's been longer than that it is possible that there are changes to your nasal cartilage support that is leading to functional breathing issues.

	You can check out my link below for more details about how revision rhinoplasty can be used to correct these problems.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

It is normal to be restricted on breathing from the nose within the next two to three weeks after the surgery, but after that the breathing obstruction should subside, and one should be breathing rather well after that.

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

It is normal to have nasal congestion secondary to post-operative swelling for 4-6 weeks after surgery. If your complaints persist, talk to your surgeon. Hopefully a revision will not be necessary.

Breathing Difficulty Through a Nostril After Rhinoplasty

Answers (5)

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