Can the nose be broken straight during septoplasty?

Any changes in external appearance for cosmetic improvement will not be be covered by insurance. The breathing aspects are sometimes covered by insurance. There can be many causes for breathing difficulties, and a deviated septum may be one.Kenneth Hughes, MDBeverly Hills, CA

If your crooked nose is contributing to your breathing trouble it can be straightened during surgery and is often covered by your health insurance. Every policy differs, however. The procedure is referred to as a septorhinoplasty because it addresses both the crooked nose and the deviated septum. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

 A septoplasty does not involve breaking the nose. A septoplasty is performed in the back of the nose there is obstructing bone and cartilage blocking air flow. A septoplasty is performed for medical necessity and will not change the shape of the nose, only improve breathing. A rhinoplasty is performed to straighten a broken and crooked nose. Osteotomies are placed in the nasal bones and the entire nose is straightened. Patients must pay for the cosmetic component themselves. Both procedures can be performed at the same time, but they're completely separate surgeries. For more information about the differences between rhinoplasty and a septoplasty, please see the video below

Straightening a nose often requires more than just straightening the septum. Straightening the bones of the nose is often necessary to successfully straightening a nose. Controlled bone cuts are made during nasal surgery. We call the bone cuts osteotomies, and effectively the break the bones so that they can be moved to a straighter position.An experienced rhinoplasty surgeon should be able to perform both procedures at the same time if necessary. Consult someone in your area to better understand your options.Hope this helps!

Thanks for your question. It is actually an interesting topic. Generally speaking just performing a septoplasty will not be sufficient to straighten the nose. That being said a straight septum is an essential component of a straight nose, so if your surgeon is not comfortable performing a septoplasty that may be a concern. However, I can relay that on many occasions patients, particularly athletes, boxers etc who have terribly deviated septums but were not interested in rhinoplasty, just doing an aggressive septoplasty was able to achieve significant improvement in the nose, not perfectly straight but significantly improved. Thus it is possible to have some improvement with just a septoplasty but I would advise finding an expert nasal surgeon. Hope this helps.

Dear cicada, A septoplasty with osteotomies will repair the nasal fracture and deviated septum. These procedures are done in conjunction with each other to help restore proper breathing function. At the time of consultation you can bring your insurance card with you and after examination a diagnosis will be made. After the diagnosis is made the diagnosis code is sent to your insurance provider to determine coverage or percentage of coverage. Once this is done the surgeons office will explain the costs and breakdown of expenses to you. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.