11 Mar Can Rhinoplasty correct a Deviated Septum?
Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a “nose job”, is a plastic surgery capable of re-shaping the appearance of the nose; often, a deviated septum will be corrected at the same time the rhinoplasty is performed. However, it should be noted that rhinoplasty and the correction of a deviated septum describe two different procedures.
In order to correct a deviated septum, a procedure known as “septoplasty” will need to be performed. Septoplasty, unlike rhinoplasty, will not change the outward appearance of your nose. In other words, if septoplasty were to be performed on its own, your deviated septum will be corrected, but the appearance of your nose will not change. For patients who are completely satisfied with the shape and size of their noses, a septoplasty will suffice for their nasal issue, but for those who are dissatisfied on some level with the appearance of their noses will greatly benefit from the nose reshaping ability of rhinoplasty as well.
It should be mentioned that rhinoplasty, even when performed in conjunction with a septoplasty will probably not be covered by your health insurance policy. The reason for this is the fact that rhinoplasty itself is a not a medically necessary procedure. Septoplasty can become a medical necessity when a deviated septum interferes with one’s ability to breathe, making it an eligible procedure to be covered by insurance. The purpose of rhinoplasty is the elective cosmetic alteration of one’s nose- not a medical necessity. However, septoplasty will still likely be covered by insurance even if performed in conjuction with the rhinoplasty.
Although rhinoplasty may not be covered by insurance, it is still recommended that you undergo rhinoplasty at the same time as your septoplasty if you are considering reshaping and/or resizing your nose. This is because the costs of performing two procedures at the same time is less expensive than performing the two procedures separately- you can save on anesthesia costs, recovery costs, and the like since all these types of costs will only need to be implemented once as there is only one surgery for both procedures.
For some people, undergoing rhinoplasty at the same time as their septoplasty may be highly beneficial for another reason: they can use the cartilage that was removed during septoplasty to reshape their noses. Often, when one thinks of a nose job, one imagines surgeries in which unwanted bumps and tissue is removed rather than added. However, rhinoplasty is often used to accentuate certain aspects of the nose rather than diminishing them. For patients who desire greater accentuation of certain features of their noses as opposed to getting rid of certain unwanted features of their noses, the performance of septoplasty during rhinoplasty can help them easily achieve the look that they desire.
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