Will deviated syptom surgery ruin my nose

[CDrake]

Hi
I am a Junior in High School and I have had a "stuffed" nose since the 7th grade, I get sinus infections about every two months and get horrible headaches. I figured I had a sinus problem so I visted an ENT today, he told me that I have a deviated syptom and the other things were probably side effects.He suggested surgery, but my nose is probably the only thing on my face i'm not self conscious about and I am VERY scared that something may go wrong and my nose will not look the same after.You have no idea how bad I want to be able to breathe like a normal human, but I also don't want to have the center of my face ruined. What should I do?

Thank you so very much :)

[doodoohead]

i just had a septoplasty done too and i am 19 years old. when i was 17 i had the hottest girlfriend you could possibly dream of and then i swear to god as soon as i turned 18 my nose actually got bigger. i got in a fight and i broke my nose and i had a deviated septum. the doctor told me he recommends surgery and i was soo happy cuz i thought my nose would be beautiful again, but actually after the surgery it looks pretty much the same.

[DrySy]

I had surgery to straighten a deviated septum, straighten the nose, and open it up some, but the turbinates were apparently left intact - this at age 17. Had the runny nose and congestion before. That was improved afterward and I had 5 or so good years, then the opposite problem of tooo-dry nose-sinuses started to set in and it's been beating me up for about 25 years now. (It's not simply a dry nose, but also resulting thick mucus further down the throat and broncii and that leads to frequent episodes of deep choking cough to loosen and expel it.) I just got some more insight into what's happening a couple days ago when I stumbled on something called ENS (empty nose syndrome). ENS is mostly caused by surgery that removes part or all of the turbinates in an attempt to reduce symptoms of congestion. A cat scan done 5 years ago shows my turbinates are all present and in good shape, but I have the exact symptoms of an ENS sufferer. So, apparently the widening of the nose bone that was done to open up my breathing is having the same affect as turbinate removal (turbinectomy?).
Long story short - if you must have surgery, have the septum straightened only - don't let them mess with the turbinates or do any "widening", and ask your ENT what "ENS" is.. If he/she doesn't know, run fast and far!
Do some research on ENS - you'll find a long list of symptoms you really don't want to have.  
  

[bellem04]

I had that surgery twice and my nose looks the same it did before I had it the first time.  The surgery will make you feel so much better.  I didn't know that I couldn't smell until I had it done.  
If you have any more questions ask away.