A student in her early 20’s who had nasal obstruction before surgery which caused her to snore at night and wake up with a dry mouth in the morning. She is also bothered by a dorsal “hump” and a drooping appearance of the tip of her nose. She was diagnosed with vestibular stenosis or collapse of the internal nasal valve. This can be improved temporarily with Breath-Rite” strips but can be improved surgically with the placement of “spreader grafts”. This is a strip of cartilage in the shape of a match stick that is placed between the top of the septum and the upper lateral cartilages to prevent collapse when a patient inhales through the nose. She is shown before and again, 5 ½ weeks after an open rhinoplasty with placement of spreader grafts. Her breathing is normal now and she loves the early improvement in the shape of the nose. The nose will typically continue to develop more refinement over the next 3 years a s swelling slowly resolves.
Update: At nearly 1 ½ years after surgery, the nose has gained a more refined look at the tip, as the swelling slowly diminishes and the underlying structure that we have created at the time of surgery is better revealed. We can expect this to continue to improve for about 3 years.
Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Specialist
"I treat my patients like I would treat
- Jonathan D. Hall, MD, FACSmembers of my own family."
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