Hi there, Dr. Tansavatdi here. Today, I’d like to answer a frequently asked question that I get when patients come in for a rhinoplasty consultation, and that is how do I know that I have a deviated septum. So, one of the ways that you would find out is if you plug one side of your nose, you should be able to breathe clearly through the other side.
However, if your breathing sounds congested, it’s going to sound obstructed. That sound, that obstruction means that you probably have a deviated septum on that side. You would also want to plug the other side. So you’d go and try both sides to see which side is obstructing.
The other way you would know is that if you are a side sleeper, and you sleep on one side more than the other and especially because if you sleep on one side and that improves your breathing and that is most likely that your septum is deviated. One other way you could tell is if your nose is crooked because the septum is deviated.
My septum is this wall. Think of it as a wall that goes up to the roof of your nose, and if it is deviated, the whole complex is deviated. The bridge of your nose will be deviated as well so you’ll have a crooked nose.
The last way is to really just come in for a consultation because your plastic surgeon or ENT surgeon would be able to see by examining inside your nose to see that the septum is deviated. And those are the ways that you’re going to know that your septum is deviated. For more information, please tune in to my YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.