Rhinoplasty vs. Septoplasty: Which Surgery is Right for You?

Nasal surgeries are divided into two essential types: septoplasty and rhinoplasty. They are two different surgical approaches that aim to correct aesthetic or functional issues of the nose. They share some similarities and differ in others. In this article, we will discuss in detail everything related to rhinoplasty and septoplasty.

What is Septoplasty?

It is simply a nasal surgery that returns the deviated nasal septum to its normal position. It is operated to fix the functional problems associated with the deviation, such as breathing difficulties. Sometimes it is followed by another rhinoplasty to correct shape defects. However, septoplasty can sometimes fix both the aesthetic and functional issues of the nose.

The nasal septum: is the anatomical partition that separates the nasal cavity vertically into two nostrils, right and left.

It is about 2 mm in thickness, and it is constructed from bone in the upper part and cartilage in the lower part.

Nasal septum deviation is the displacement of the nasal septum into one nostril side, leading to narrowing or obstruction of the airway passage and a nasal shape defect.

The deviation in the septum can be congenital; meaning people born with the nasal defect, or can be a result of injury, trauma, or an accident.

What is Rhinoplasty?

Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a nose job, is a type of nasal surgery that aims essentially to change the shape or size of the nose for aesthetic purposes. However, it can be performed to reverse functional issues that are associated with structural defects. It usually involves all nose parts: the bone, cartilage, and the overlying skin and it is performed by either open rhinoplasty or closed rhinoplasty.

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Nasal defects corrected by rhinoplasty

• Nasal size imperfections: the rhinoplasty operation is performed either to decrease the size, Reduction rhinoplasty, or increase the size, Augmentation rhinoplasty, this surgery aims to make the proportion of the nose to face more perfect.

• Imperfections of the nose tip such as drooped, hooked, enlarged, or upturned tips.
• Nasal profile imperfections or nasal asymmetry.
• correction of large or wide nostrils.

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Top 5 Differences Between Septoplasty and Rhinoplasty:

Both Septoplasty and Rhinoplasty are surgical operations performed on the nose. However, they differ in several aspects such as

Functional Rhinoplasty vs. Septoplasty

Both functional rhinoplasty and septoplasty are nasal surgeries that focus on improving the functionality of the nose.

Functional rhinoplasty: When the rhinoplasty surgical procedure is performed to improve breathing function, that is caused by structural defects, that is either congenital or secondary to accident, trauma or injury, then it is called a functional rhinoplasty or functional nose job.

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Its main goal is to restore proper breathing. However, it may involve bone, cartilage or skinny parts of the nose and it is usually associated with improvement of the nose shape.

The result is a combination of aesthetic and functional correction of the nasal problems. So It is categorized as a cosmetic procedure.

Septoplasty: It is categorized as a reconstructive procedure. This nose surgical procedure aims to correct breathing constriction that is associated with nasal septum deviation.

It does not change the shape of the nose, it only corrects the position of the septum to make both nostrils patent properly.

Sometimes this change in the septum results in some aesthetic correction of the deviation. However to combine aesthetic and functional correction of the deviated septum a surgery called Septorhinoplasty is required.

What is Septorhinoplasty?

When the nasal bones are damaged or destructed, in a way that causes functional and breathing impairment associated with aesthetic deformity, the only way to restore both functional and aesthetic features of the nose in one surgical operation is Septorhinoplasty.

This nose job surgery is a large operation that involves the fixation of bone and cartilage that form the nasal septum in a way that fixes the shape imperfections (rhinoplasty) and the breathing difficulties (septoplasty).

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FAQs

Is rhinoplasty better than septoplasty?

Rhinoplasty and septoplasty are both nasal surgeries, despite that their essential goal are different, if you are suffering from difficulty breathing due to nasal septum deviation septoplasty is better than rhinoplasty. However, if you want to change your nose shape or size for aesthetic purposes, then rhinoplasty is better than septoplasty.

What hurts more, septoplasty or rhinoplasty?

Both septoplasty and rhinoplasty are major surgeries that can cause some side effects including discomfort and mild to moderate pain. However, rhinoplasty is usually accompanied by more severity and duration of these side effects.

Will septoplasty change my nose shape?

Septoplasty focuses on the functional issues associated with nasal septum deviation. It is not a cosmetic procedure. However, in some cases returning the deviated septum to its normal position can provide aesthetic fixation

Can I get septoplasty without rhinoplasty?

Septoplasty, which aims to correct breathing issues in patients with septal deviation, is commonly performed without the need for rhinoplasty which aims to correct aesthetic imperfections. However if the patient needs to improve the nasal shape besides fixation of the functional issues, septorhinoplasty is more recommended.