Rhinoplasty is a cosmetic surgery procedure that reshapes the structural components of the nose. People unhappy with their noses may choose to undergo surgery, which can be highly beneficial to those struggling with breathing issues or individuals who want to change their looks.
However, bad rhinoplasty scars can have other negative effects that affect patients in different ways. For instance, some people have reported that they struggle to sleep at night after the rhinoplasty procedure.
Most of the adverse side effects of a rhinoplasty procedure begin to go wrong when the patient’s nose is still bandaged. Pain and heavy bandaging in the nasal area causes patients problems with breathing and sleeping. Swelling of the nasal cavity following the procedure may also cause the patient to snore excessively, and this causes poor sleep patterns.
All these problems combined can negatively alter the sleep patterns of a healthy person and lead to sleep disorders.
Can Rhinoplasty Cause Breathing Problems?
Reduction rhinoplasty is reported in an estimated 70% of all rhinoplasty patients, according to nig.gov. If you are one of these patients, it’s important to note that the procedure may cause breathing issues. This is often temporary and typically resolves within around six months of your surgery. However, it can persist if the nose is made too small or narrow during surgery, making it difficult for you to breathe comfortably through your nose.
Rhinoplasty scars may be a common problem for patients who have undergone this type of surgery. The scars from your surgery can negatively affect the ability to breathe through your nose by causing the nasal cavities to collapse. In turn, this can cause a decrease in air supply through your nose and lead to excessive snoring. The best solution for you is to speak with your doctor about the possibility of revision rhinoplasty if you continue to have breathing issues.
Airway obstruction after rhinoplasty is also a possibility for many patients and one of the leading causes of breathing problems after a rhinoplasty procedure. The reason for this is that the nose is a critical part of your airway, and losing the cartilage or bone after surgery can cause it to collapse.
Severe scarring and pain may also result in breathing problems. Acute pain is one of the common postoperative problems that surgical patients face in a lot of cases. While some areas of the body can be ignored or put to less use, this cannot be said of breathing and the nose. A rhinoplasty patient has to continue breathing and using their nose during and after rhinoplasty. Breathing effectively can become a problem in such an event due to post-surgical pain and scarring.
To alleviate pain and breathing conditions, it is advisable to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon about your problems and have them advise you accordingly.
Why Can’t I Breathe Out of My Nose After Rhinoplasty?
The pinching of the nasal valve after a rhinoplasty procedure can narrow the angle through which the septum meets the nostrils. Nasal septum deviation is one of the undesirable outcomes of rhinoplasty. Septum deviation refers to the position of a patient’s nasal septum.
When shifted from its normal position, it can cause breathing problems. Lousy rhinoplasty surgery can result in a worse case of septum deviation that significantly reduces the patient’s nasal airflow, forcing them to use a respirator at night to breathe effectively.
If a rhinoplasty reduces the septum angle, you are bound to have a marked reduction in your breathing capacity. All these symptoms are not only capable of hindering your ability to breathe, but they can also affect the quality of rest you get at night. A good number of individuals who suffer from breathing problems consistently may have sleep apnea, which is a severe disorder that can be life-threatening.
Trauma experienced by the nasal tissues, which causes swelling and blockage in some areas of the nasal cavity may be the second reason you are not breathing well after rhinoplasty. The blockage can occur in the area where groups of nerves are housed. Nerves are responsible for relaying certain messages to different organs in your body, including your nose, and if these nerve groups are not functioning correctly, it may cause breathing problems.
There is also a possibility that you may encounter nasal septum perforation after undergoing rhinoplasty surgery. Nasal septum perforation is the result of an injury to your nasal tissues, and it can cause a hole to develop through your nasal tissue. When this happens, it allows for airflow to occur in and out of the nose with less resistance than usual, which prevents you from breathing correctly.
How Rhinoplasty Can Relate to Sleep Disorders
Normal nasal breathing requires the septum to be straight, but rhinoplasty can change this so that the septum deviates towards one side of the nose. After surgery, you may find it difficult to breathe when lying down because the airway is not in an optimal position.
A deviated nasal septum can also result from injury or previous sinus problems that your body could never recover from completely. When these issues are not corrected, they can continue to cause breathing problems in the future.
If you are experiencing sleep-related breathing issues, it is important that you seek medical advice as soon as possible. A deviated septum or other forms of nasal blockages may be challenging to treat if they become severe; therefore, early detection and treatment are critical.
Another form of sleep disorder that may be caused by rhinoplasty is called the Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. UARS is a condition that occurs when your airway resistance increases during sleep, which makes it difficult for you to breathe normally. The increased airway resistance also prevents oxygen from getting into the bloodstream as quickly or efficiently as usual.
If nasal obstruction is the main cause of your problems after rhinoplasty, the surgeon may elect to employ a technique that will widen your nasal cavities to allow for more airflow. This is a simple procedure and one that can be done quickly without requiring extensive recovery time.
However, if a deviated septum is the main cause of your breathing issues, you may need corrective surgery on this part of the nose. This is a much more complicated procedure than septoplasty and will require much longer to heal after surgery.
