“I’m feeling better… 110% better.

I thought I had sleep apnea. My wife tells me my snoring went away… I’m just sleeping a lot better. Now I feel more rested and just breathing a lot better.

Slow process of trying to actually breathe correctly for the first time in my life, through my nose instead of through the mouth.”

The smile says it all! Nearly 100% of our cleft patients have difficulty breathing.

Factors include the septum deviating away from the cleft towards the nostrils from the asymmetric pull of the orbicularis muscle and other soft tissue attachments seen with most repairs historically. Further back, the septum follows the bone deviating and collapsing towards the cleft.

Other considerations are weak and collapsed cartilage in the middle and lower thirds of the nose, and compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy.

Structural rhinoplasty was performed via an open approach, with spreader grafts, lower lateral cartilage repair (with reorientation of his previous surgical repair), and septal extension graft. Turbinate outfracture and ablation is used adjunctively based on palpation and exam after correcting the deviated septum.

For more, visit our Cleft Rhinoplasty page or call us at (214) 241-1997.

💻 lawplasticsurgery.com
👨‍⚕️ Dr. Huay-Zong Law⁠
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX
🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠ ⁠

CLEFT RHINOPLASTY (CLEFT NOSE SURGERY) BEFORE & AFTER PHOTO. SURGERY PERFORMED BY DR. LAW

Case Details

This beautiful patient is thrilled after her cleft rhinoplasty! She had the normal development we see with most cleft lip patients.

Her septum was pointing to the right — away from the cleft side — causing severe nasal obstruction. She also had slumping and weakness of the cartilage and skin on the same side as her cleft lip.

View Photos