Can a severely deviated septum where breathing is not disrupted, be straightened with non-surgical procedures?

Please consider re-asking you a question with photographs. If you have a crooked initial appearance from a deviated nasal septum, but your breathing is OK, sometimes fillers may be applicable. Hope this helps! Sincerely, Dr. Joseph

Hello and thank you for your question. Honestly, surgery is the best option to address your situation- previously broken nasal bones with septal deviation and a visibly crooked nose, as you mentioned. Fillers would be the main non-surgical option, and they would only partially mask the appearance of a very mildly crooked nose, but would make it appear wider in the process, would not address the septal deviation, and are only temporary in nature. The shape of your nose is due to the underlying anatomy present- a combination of your nasal bones and cartilage makes up the structural framework of your nose, including the septum and the support for the dorsum and the tip. Correcting nasal/septal deviation, and addressing the shape of the nose (especially the nasal dorsum and nasal tip) are actually two of the most common reasons people seek out and undergo a rhinoplasty procedure, which would provide optimal results to achieve your goals.

In addition to addressing your aesthetic nose concerns, your septal cartilage (or an off-the-shelf alternative) would be harvested (removed) and turned into multiple cartilage grafts, which would then be secured into different areas of your nose for structural support, including in the columella (middle bottom portion of your nose between your nostrils) to really reinforce the tip and prevent long term alterations/distortions to nose shape. These grafts would also functionally reinforce your internal nasal valves to improve breathing (and prevent disruption).

The open approach is very effective in facilitating complex, precise maneuvers to refine the nasal shape and size to a particular aesthetic and look. Rhinoplasty is arguably the most difficult procedure to perform in all of plastic surgery. I would only recommend going to see a surgeon who feels very comfortable with both primary and revision rhinoplasty procedures, and who has significant training and experience in these types of surgeries. This is a surgery of millimeters, so if the surgeon you're going to only does 1-2 per month, you are not going to get the best result possible.

Of course it is always difficult to provide tentative surgical recommendations, as there is only so much information to be gained from the photos and description provided.

Dr. Donald Groves, our expert facial plastic surgeon, has extensive training and experience with complex rhinoplasty surgeries, so I’d recommend for you to come see him (or another plastic surgeon who is extremely comfortable with rhinoplasties) for a formal consultation to thoroughly discuss your surgical goals, undergo a formal examination, evaluate all your options (surgical and nonsurgical), and decide on the best procedure(s) and type of anesthesia for your specific case. I hope this helps!

Dr. Emer

In a non-surgical nose job, injectable fillers are used to change the shape of the nose and improve overall facial harmony. In most cases, fillers are used to change the appearance of the nose and camouflage certain areas.  We are not able to change the actual shape of the underlying bone and cartilage with the non-surgical nose job, and a non-surgical nose job does not typically affect (positively or negatively) nasal breathing.  Anyone looking into this procedure should consult with an expert injector who also performs many rhinoplasty surgeries.  All the best,