Health tips: Nose matters

Less than perfect.

If we count all the hours that we spend examining our noses in the mirror, they will surely add up to at least a couple of days. From the dotted blackheads, the nose hair, the tip, the bulb, to the slightest hint of a bump, nothing escapes our eye while we crane our neck as close to our reflection as possible. Some people attach a lot of importance to the shape of a nose — a crooked one suggesting dishonesty, an aquiline nose pointing to ambition. Thus shapes not only address the obvious facet of aesthetics, but are said to be reflective of different personality traits too.

Few people realise that a hooked nose is not just aesthetically unpleasing, it also causes a medical problem in the thin wall (septum) separating the two sides of the nasal passages, known as a ‘deviated nasal septum’. This internal issue can give rise to a typical constellation of symptoms depending on severity. First and foremost, is nasal blockade, which makes breathing difficult especially during a flu or allergic congestion of the nose. Headaches might also be experienced. The person may keep his or her bunk buddy up at night by snoring. Nosebleeds can occur, not because of heightened emotions, but the drying out of the nose. And finally, the nasal passages being relatively clogged lead to poor ventilation and frequent infections.

For these disabling symptoms, medications might help provide only temporary relief, serving to open the airway, mitigate allergies and keep in check the runny nose. For a permanent solution, surgery will be necessary.

The main surgery is septoplasty which aims to correct the defect in the septum. This might be done by removing the excess or adding, as the need be, and positioning the septum centrally. This will fend against the headaches, nosebleeds and regular resident germs. Altering the shape of the nose externally can also be necessary for a complete resolution. This procedure is known as a rhinoplasty or commonly known as the nose job. The two may be combined into one procedure. The patient can go home the same day with a dressing. Either an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist can be sought or a plastic surgeon can do the job. Essential to discuss with your doctor is to decide the approach which fulfills cosmetic parameters as well.

The nose can also be in a cast to maintain the shape of the nose and protect it from injury, which may stay in place for a week. Applying appropriate pressure on the nose as instructed by the surgeon is vital, as is the follow up at the clinic to ensure that the nose is healing and it does not revert to being deviated.

For those, who have neither heard or experienced these problems, know that generally the cause of this misshapen nose, inside and out, is injury, whether it happens in childhood when the bones are more pliable or later, fracturing the nasal bones. Therefore, stay safe to enjoy the pleasures of breathing easily.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2011.