For some people, hay fever isn’t a major problem; they just pop an antihistamine and their symptoms go away. But for many others, their hay fever doesn’t respond to any sort of allergy medicine. To make matters worse, many sufferers are extremely sensitive to triggers like pollen, pet dander, dust, and mold… making it virtually impossible to avoid hay fever.
Since there’s currently no cure for hay fever, many are simply looking for new ways to lessen the associated symptoms. Some people are using nasal rinses and flushes on a daily basis. Some people even resort to plastic surgery – rhinoplasty – to try and improve the internal structure of their nose so it can hopefully handle the hay fever better.
Will rhinoplasty really help with hay fever?
A nose job isn’t always the solution. In fact, most of the time it won’t help a person at all. However some people have abnormal noses, like a deviated septum. When this is the case, sometimes it can be beneficial to straighten the septum out – and hence – allow for easier breathing.
There is another procedure known as turbinate reduction that is sometimes done in combination with a regular septoplasty (rhinoplaty of the septum). The turbinates – also known as the nasal concha – are a curled bone shelf which are located near the top of the nose. A few years ago, plastic surgeons though it would be a cut idea to cut them out since they became inflamed during allergies. Nowadays, they’re thinking twice about this procedure; it turns out this structure is something our noses needs to function properly. According to this rhinoplasty forum on the Plastic Surgery Spot message boards, there are a number of people who had their turbinates reduced and are experiencing problems permanently as a result.
How much does a rhinoplasty surgery cost?
Another reason why this option isn’t for everything is because of the cost. In the United States, a rhinoplasty may end up costing you from $8,000 all the way up to $20,000! To make matters worse, it’s not uncommon for this surgery to have a bad outcome, even when a top plastic surgeon performed the procedure. Therefore, it’s a very real possibility that you will have to dish out even more money for a revision rhinoplasty after the first surgery. In addition, this procedure involves significant downtime and nasal swelling which can last a year or greater. So it’s important to consider the pros and cons before you go under the knife.