Functional Rhinoplasty is an intervention that acts on the nasal septum, turbinates or mucosa and its main objective is to correct nasal ventilation.

The main function of the nose is to allow and promote the passage of air to the lungs. Also conditions the air to achieve an ideal degree of humidity and temperature and allows olfaction, so important in some professions. On the other hand, it has implications in the formation of the tone of voice since it acts as a resonance cavity. The “nasal voice” or “rinolalia” is the characteristic tone of voice of patients with nasal obstruction.

If any of these functions are altered, the patient will have problems breathing through the nose, a feeling of nasal congestion or inflammation, loss of smell, and changes in tone of voice. The causes of these disorders may be due to a mechanical obstruction, which usually involves either a deviation of the septum or Turbinate Hypertrophy.or on the contrary, be due to an inflammation of the mucosa that, when it thickens, causes obstruction. One of the fundamental causes of this inflammation is environmental allergies.

Those patients who have symptoms such as Nasal Respiratory Failure, excessive secretion or nasal voice, should go to their ENT doctor to carry out a complete examination of the nose, nasal passages and their function.

Septoplasty or Turbinoplasty

Functional Rhinoplasty includes those interventions aimed at improving the passage of air through the nose. and fundamentally they act on the nasal septum and thus speak of “Septoplasty” or “Turbinoplasty” on the turbinates.

In cases where polyps are found, their removal through “Nasal endoscopic surgery or CENS” could be indicated.

Functional Nasal Surgery is performed through the nares or natural nasal openings so there is no type of scar left.. Normally the shape of the nose is not affected in functional surgery.

Aesthetic rhinoplasty or Septorhinoplasty

It is evident that one of the nasal functions that has not yet been mentioned is aesthetics.. Because it is in the center of the face in frontal vision and because it stands out in lateral vision, the nose is one of the signs of identity that is most recognized in people.

Increasingly, patients require an Otorhinolaryngologist to not only act on the problem of nasal function, but also to do so with a morphological or aesthetic problem. In these cases we speak of “Aesthetic Rhinoplasty” or “Septorhinoplasty”.

Care after Rhinoplasty

After the intervention on the septum or turbinates, it is common to leave a nasal packing that will be removed 24-48 hours after the intervention. Packing prevents bleeding and helps the septum consolidate and heal in position. The patient is usually discharged from the hospital on the same day, so it is not necessary for them to spend the night in the Hospital.

After removing the blockage, it is important to establish good nasal hygiene with serums instilled through the nasal passages and cleaning the scabs. that appear with swabs soaked in hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment.

In cases where cosmetic surgery is also performed, a splint or nasal containment system will be left to prevent the nose from moving in the immediate postoperative period.. This splint is usually removed a week after surgery.