What are Narrow Nostrils?
Narrow nostrils, which many of us experience, is a condition that makes daily life very difficult. This condition can affect our daily activities and reduce our quality of life, especially by making breathing difficult. Therefore, narrow nostrils can cause various symptoms and complications in the person. However, there are various treatment options available to solve these and similar situations. While there are permanent solutions such as surgical interventions for these conditions, temporary solutions such as nasal sprays and nasal dilators can also provide relief. If you suffer from narrow nostrils, you can improve your quality of life by having a preliminary consultation with a nose surgeon and receiving treatment with the right methods.
What Causes Narrow Nostrils?
There are many reasons behind narrow nostrils. These causes may emerge later or may occur congenitally. The most important of these conditions are polyps, rhinitis, genetic conditions and septum deviation. If we need to examine these stated situations in detail;
Nasal Valve Collapse
Nasal valve collapse is a major cause of narrow nostrils and occurs due to collapsed nasal walls. In this case, the person cannot sleep comfortably in daily life or especially while sleeping and may experience sleep apnea. There are two different types of this situation. The first of these is internal nasal valve collapse, and the other is external nasal valve collapse. If we need to consider these situations in detail;
Internal Nasal Valve
Due to its structure, the internal nasal valve is located just inside the nostrils and in the lower cartilage of the nasal septum (lateral crus). Since this cartilaginous structure is the narrowest part in the nose, it is the point where air flow resists the most. For this reason, as air does not pass easily, collapses occur at these points over time.
External Nasal Valve
The external nasal valve is the opposite of the internal nasal valve, it is a part located between the outer part of the nostrils and the nasal wings (alar cartilages) and the nostrils. This part may collapse over time due to trauma, cartilage deficiency and infections. These collapses greatly affect a person’s social life by straining their breathing and efficiency over time.
Turbinate Hypertrophy
Turbinate hypertrophy, also called turbinate enlargement, which is frequently experienced in many people, occurs due to the turbinate structure in the nose growing or swelling more than it actually is. This situation causes the person to not breathe easily. This situation is generally; It occurs due to Allergic Rhinitis, Chronic Sinusitis, Vasomotor Rhinitis and Anatomical Factors.
Septum Deviation
Septum Deviation, which is one of the reasons for the frequent inability to breathe today, occurs when the nasal septum (the cartilage and bone structure that divides the nasal cavity into two) deviates from the midline or bends. This situation can generally cause narrowing of the nostrils and restriction of air flow, thus preventing the person from breathing comfortably. In such cases, if the patient is treated with septoplasty, the problem can be solved radically.
Genetic Conditions
Inherited conditions transmitted through genes can sometimes greatly affect a person’s daily life. Some genetic disorders, especially Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, can cause serious deformations in the nasal structure, narrowing the nostrils. In addition, genetic causes such as Apert syndrome and Down syndrome can also cause abnormalities in the nasal structure, causing conditions such as breathing difficulties, nasal congestion, snoring, sleep disorders and smell problems.
Rhinitis
Rhinitis, a common condition, is a condition characterized by inflammation and swelling of the mucosa. This condition is usually allergic or infectious. While allergic rhinitis occurs as a result of exposure to allergens such as pollens, house dust mites or mold fungi, infectious rhinitis usually occurs due to viral or bacterial infections. In such cases, the nostrils narrow and breathing becomes impossible.
Polyps
Nasal polyps are soft, swollen, saggy clumps of tissue that form in the nose and sinus cavity. These occur as a result of chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa and are often associated with underlying causes such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis or recurrent infections. These conditions may cause narrowing of the nostrils and difficulty breathing.
Symptoms of Narrow Nostrils
Nowadays, there are many reasons for narrow nostrils. Although these causes vary from person to person, not every symptom appears in everyone, and sometimes one or more symptoms may occur in a person. If we need to examine these mentioned symptoms in detail, these details are as follows;
- Difficulty in breathing
- Long-lasting nasal congestion
- Shortness of breath, especially while sleeping
- Sudden nosebleeds (these nosebleeds do not always occur from narrow nostrils, but they occur in many patients with narrow nostril discomfort. We recommend that you consult a doctor for this)
- Crusts in the nose
- Snoring that occurs while sleeping
- Extreme irritability and aggression (In this case, there is no connection only with the narrow nostril problem. Therefore, you may need to have a preliminary consultation with the doctor.)
- Feeling more sleepy during the day
- Concentration disorder (In this case, there is not only a connection with the narrow nostril problem. Therefore, it is recommended to have a preliminary consultation with a nose surgeon.)
How Is Narrow Nostril Surgery Treated?
With the developing technology, narrow nose surgery, contrary to popular belief, is a very easy and short procedure. These procedures are performed depending on the cause of the narrow nostril experienced by the patient. These treatment methods are divided into 6 separate areas. These; Turbine Surgery, Septoplasty, Alarplasty, and Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.
- Turbine Surgery
Turbine surgery, which is a frequently applied treatment method for turbinate hypertrophy, is performed under local or general anesthesia, and the swollen turbinates are reduced or partially removed with tools such as laser or microdebrider. Thus, the turbinates regain their normal function, nasal congestion disappears and respiratory quality improves.
- Septoplasty
Septoplasty, the number one solution to the Septum Deviation problem, is a surgical procedure that corrects the cartilage and bone wall called the nasal septum. In line with this procedure, the nose surgeon makes cartilage and bone incisions to correct the septum. In this way, the patient recovers in a short time and breathes healthily. For more detailed information on this subject, you can review our Deviated Septum Turkey page.
- Alarplasty
Alarplasty, which offers perfect results in narrow nostril surgery, is a surgical procedure performed to change the shape or size of the nose wings (alar). This application generally helps to bring the nasal wings inside the nose or at the edge of the nose to the desired shape and size. Thus, the shape and size of the patient’s nose wings are improved, contributing to the aesthetics of the nose and the general facial appearance.
- Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Endoscopic sinus surgery, a method using the latest technology, is a minimally invasive surgical operation performed with an endoscopic camera. In this operation, the nasal cavity is reached with the help of an endoscopic camera, the sinuses are visually examined in detail and the intervention is performed. Endoscopic sinus surgery, this highly advanced treatment method, is performed using endoscopic methods or minimal incisions, unlike traditional open surgery. For this reason, the healing process is fast and the risk of possible complications is almost non-existent.
- Revision Nose Surgery
Sometimes we may not get the results we want from nose surgeries. At this point, revision nose surgeries appear as the number one solution. Thanks to revision nose surgeries, asymmetrical nostrils are healed in a short time and aesthetic and functional improvement is achieved in the nose appearance. To learn more about this subject, you can review our Revision Rhinoplasty Turkey page.
Recovery Process After Narrow Nose Surgery
The recovery process after narrow nostril surgery may vary depending on the procedure performed, the genetic structure of the patient, and how much attention he pays to the recommendations or warnings. Therefore, it would be wrong to say a complete recovery process. However, to give an average duration, it varies between 6 months and 1 year.
If you want to speed up the recovery process after narrow nose surgery, you must follow the doctor’s recommendations exactly. You need to pay particular attention to medication use and intranasal care. In addition, by resting adequately after the procedure, you will not overload the nose area. You can also apply cold compresses as recommended by the doctor to reduce swelling and bruising that may occur after surgery and accelerate blood circulation in the nose area. Finally, you should stay away from cigarettes and alcohol as much as possible and not use them until the period specified by your doctor. This way you can speed up the healing process.
By paying attention to the suggestions and warnings we have mentioned above, you can have a comfortable process after narrow nose surgery.
If you complain about narrow nostrils and want to breathe easily, Deviated Septum surgery or Revision Nose Surgery will be a good option in this regard. If you want to achieve successful results in Deviated Septum Surgery in Turkey and Revision Rhinoplasty in Turkey, you can contact the expert and professional doctors of FaceAesthetics. In this way, you can achieve perfect results in Deviated Septum surgery and revision nose surgery.
FAQ
Is there any surgery that will allow your nose to breathe more easily?
There are surgeries that will allow you to breathe more easily through your nose. However, these surgeries are performed according to the problem occurring in your nose. For this reason, you need to have a preliminary consultation with your plastic surgeon to determine a clear treatment method.
Can you flare your nostrils to breathe better?
Alarplasty procedure is performed in order to breathe more easily. This treatment method widens the wings of the nose, allowing the person to breathe more easily.
Can narrow nasal passages be corrected?
Narrow nasal passages can be corrected in a short time through procedures such as Septoplasty and Revision nose surgery. In this way, the person can breathe more easily through the nasal layer.
