Septoplasty/Turbinate = Smaller Nose?

Question

I saw my ENT doctor yesterday and he said I had a deviation in my septum. He said my left nostril is about 70% blocked then said somethin about slight hypertrophy. Also it bothers me hat my nose is too wide. Can I ask my surgeon to remove cartilage from the sides of my nose during septoplasty in order to make my nose appear thinner? Would a turbinate reduction make my nose appear thinner? Turbinate should be covered by insurance. Is 4 weeks enough time for recovery after turbinate or septoplasy?

Thomas A. Lamperti, MD · Answer

Septoplasty and turbinate reduction can improve the opening inside your nose but they won't make your nose look smaller externally. Rhinoplasty can be done at the same time as septoplsty or turbinate reduction to address those concerns, but it wouldn't be covered by insurance.

	The recovery after septum and turbinate surgery is usually 4-7 days or so.

Nikesh K. Patel, MD · Answer

Your turbinates and septum are functional portions of your nose that seem to be giving you problems with breathing. Reducing them will not affect the size or width of the nose as these structures are more internal than that. More importantly the width of your nose (and we're not talking about the tip of your nose) is based on the width of your nasal bones. Reducing/fracturing these will achieve a more narrow nose if that is what you are looking for.

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