Crooked Nose Treatment

There are many possible reasons someone might have a crooked nose. A crooked nose would refer to any nose that doesn’t follow a straight, narrow line on the middle of your face.

In general, crooked noses are a cosmetic concern. However, there are situations where a crooked nose can affect your breathing.

Causes of Crooked Noses

In general, there are 2 main causes of crooked noses.

1. Bone, cartilage or tissue issues
   
   Our noses are made out of bone, cartilage and tissue. These work together in a complex system in order to form a functional nose. This might get affected by certain birth defects, physical injuries, nasal infections or other surgeries like rhinoplasties.
    
2. Deviated septum
   
   Your septum is a wall within your nose that separates the right and left nasal chambers. Patients with a deviated septum have a septum that slants either to the right or left, causing a blockage.
   
   A deviated septum can be a tricky nasal condition to live with as they sometimes affect breathing, sleep and can cause nosebleeds.

Only a doctor is qualified to properly diagnose the reason for a patient’s crooked nose.

Treatment for Crooked Noses

Treatments for crooked noses generally fall into 2 categories, surgical and non-surgical.

• Surgical
  
  Surgical treatments for crooked noses include rhinoplasties, where the shape of the nose is surgically altered. For patients with a deviated septum, sometimes a doctor will recommend a septoplasty, where the wall in the middle of your nose is straightened and put back into place.

• Non-surgical
  
  For more cosmetic nose problems where the airways don’t need correction, there are options such as nose fillers or nose threading. These treatments can camouflage the crooked nature of the nose by filling in areas of the nose.
   

Dr Samuel Ho’s Approach

Firstly, the underlying cause for the crooked nose must be determined – is it the septum or nasal bones that are crooked? Occasionally, it may be the soft tissue (skin) that results in deviation, such as when scarring is present. In general, this crookedness can be dealt with in 2 different ways - one can correct the cause of the crookedness or one can camouflage it.

The difference between the two methods is the recovery involved. Camouflage techniques typically result in shorter downtime, but may not be feasible if there is a functional problem that has to be corrected, such as nasal obstruction. Correcting the underlying cause, such as nasal bone osteotomies (breaking the nasal bones) or septoplasties (to correct a crooked middle cartilage piece) typically have a longer recovery period and might have a slightly higher complication rate but are generally needed to correct a functional problem.

The more appropriate method is only chosen after a careful discussion between Dr Samuel Ho and the patient as every patient’s requirement and expectations are different.