What's the ideal age for septoplasty?

I would recommend visiting with an ENT surgeon prior to deciding if you even need surgery. Many times in younger patients there is a component of septal deviation which can cause breathing issues, but there is also a component of allergy. Depending on what the intranasal exam shows, many times your breathing can be improved without surgery if the breathing problem is minor. As for age if you do need surgery, I think 16 is fine to perform this type of operation. You will likely get differing opinions though. Best of luck

To my knowledge, there has been no definitive link between nasal surgery and stunting of nasal growth.  However, most ENT surgeons play it safe and recommend waiting until the patient is in their late teens.  The typical cut off is 16 for women and 18 for men.  There can be exceptions based on the patient, the physical examination, and the surgeon's experience.  I do recommend that all other causes of decreased nasal breathing (allergies, chronic sinusitis, etc) be ruled out before discussing surgical options.  Good luck!

From your post it sounds like you are interested in correcting both the aesthetics and the function of your nose? Not just a septoplasty. A septorhinoplasty is the combined procedures of both "septo" addressing the functional aspects of your nose and "rhinoplasty" addressing the aesthetic portion of your nose. Seek consultation with your parents to an expert in the field of septorhinoplasty surgery. After an examination the deviation of your septum may be determined. If you have other outstanding issues that may be leading to the breathing difficulties then allergies may be looked at. After examination digital imaging may be performed to show you the aesthetic changes that may be made to your nose. Once these changes are agreed upon your surgeon may go into detail with you and your parents regarding what would need to be done surgically to attain the desired results. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.