Rhinoplasty, more commonly referred to as a Nose Job, is not purely a cosmetic procedure. There are a handful of instances where rhinoplasty procedures are used to correct serious medical problems, most of which are related to respiratory complications. Because these corrective surgeries are the result of a diagnosable medical condition, they are often covered by conventional medical insurance plans.

Rhinoplasty is used to correct any anatomical nasal abnormalities, to restore healthy respiration, and will correct the nose’s appearance if it has become misshapen due to the nasal obstruction(s). Here are some of the medical problems that can be treated by Rhinoplastic Surgery.

Deviated Septum: The septum is the cartilage and bone that runs down the center of the nose, equally dividing the two nasal cavities. When this center line is even slightly angled, or deviated, it will cause one nasal passage to be larger than the other. If this deviation is great enough to significantly block a patient’s nasal passage, causing breathing complications, they are said to have a deviated septum. In addition to causing daily breathing complications, a deviated septum can also cause sleep apnea and chronic snoring, which compromises a patient’s ability to get a good night’s sleep. Individuals with a deviated septum are also more prone to sinus infections, congestion, and even nose bleeds.

Deviated septums can be caused by heredity, or can be the result of an injury or traumatic accident. Rhinoplasty can be used to restructure and/or shape this important column of bone and cartilage so that it lies at the center point of the nasal passages, and restores normal breath flow.

Overgrowth of the Turbinate Bones: The superior, middle, and inferior turbinate bones are rounded projections that run alongside the nose, down the length of the nasal cavity. Sometimes, these projections grow larger than normal, or they develop small bone growths, which begin to disrupt a patient’s ability to breath freely. Overgrown turbinates can also affect normal nasal drainage, which can cause frequent to chronic sinus problems, including sinusitis.

While overgrowth of turbinate bones can be caused by genetic factors, they are commonly the result of a broken nose. The broken bone will slowly heal itself by filling in the break. If the bone is deviated at all, or the regenerated bone material is excessive, this natural healing process can result in a nasal obstruction that needs to be corrected.

During a Rhinoplasty procedure, the surgeon will remove overgrowths or projections and make any anatomical corrections necessary to restore a healthy nose anatomy.

Nasal cysts or tumors: Sometimes, excessive tissue growth results in benign sinonasal tumors. These can crop up in the nasal cavity. Similar to previous nasal obstructions we’ve discussed, these tumors can obstruct airflow and can increase a patient’s chances of getting sinus and respiratory infections. They can also become uncomfortable. There are several different types of these tumors:

• Nasal polyps (occur in the lining)
• Hemangioma (an overgrowth of blood vessels)
• Inverted papilloma (a wart-like growth)
• Fibrous dysplasia (overgrowth of bone tissue)
• Osteoma (bony tissue tumor)
• Angiofibroma (an overgrowth of both fibrous tissue and blood vessels)

Rhinoplasty can be used to remove these growths and repair any damage that may have occurred as their result.

Complications from previous nose job: Sometimes, complications or
excessive scarring from a previous Rhinoplasty can cause nasal
obstructions that complicate breathing. During this corrective
Rhinoplasty procedure, the doctor will repair the  post-surgical
complications while maintaining the desired nose shape.