Pooja ENT Hospital

Rhinoplasty, more commonly known as nose surgery, is a cosmetic form of operation designed to change the shape and size of the nose. 

A rhinoplasty can effectively change the size and width of the nose to complement the facial balance. It also helps improve nasal symmetry efficiently enhancing your facial features.

How is the surgery performed?
You can opt for either general anesthesia or local anesthesia for the surgery. The surgery is generally an outpatient procedure, but occasionally patients are asked to stay in the hospital overnight post the surgery.

The operation involves an incision which is made for easy access to the cartilage and bones of the nose. These incisions are generally placed inside the nose, so that they do not appear as scar marks after the surgery is done. Removal or replacement of the bone or cartilage depends on the demands of the restructuring of the nose. Once the reshaping of the nose is done, the nose tissue is put back into place and a splint is temporarily placed to support the new structure of the nose. The splint is removed once the nose heals. 

Precautions to take after a nose surgery

After a nose surgery, the area around your nose will stay swollen and bruised for a considerable period of time. Thus you have to ensure that-

1.  You get ample amount of rest 
2.  Use cold compresses over the swollen nose area, this will reduce the swelling and ease the pain
3.  Do not indulge in relatively vigorous physical activity for sometime 
4.  Take you medicines regularly

Risks of nose surgery

Every surgery or medical procedure involves certain risks, and so does rhinoplasty. Along with some puffiness and bruising around the eye and nose region, you may also experience-

1.  Some amount of bleeding 
2.  Injury to the septum area
3.  Irritation of the skin and skin problems 
4.  Infections 
5.  Nasal blockage due to swelling in the inner nasal area 
6.  Complications resulting from anesthesia 
Although there are certain risks to rhinoplasty, the surgery is considerably safe and the results are quite permanent.
 

Throat cancer is as common as breast cancer and more than prostate cancer. In cause of throat cancer, keep smoking as first cause followed by alcohol. 

It occurs when abnormally dividing cancerous cells form growth like tumors in the voice box, vocal cords & other parts of the throat like the tonsils, and the pharynx which is the hollow tube that runs from behind the nose to the top of the windpipe.

The common symptoms of throat cancer include coughing, trouble swallowing, hoarseness, and swollen lymph nodes. There are two primary types of throat cancers according to where they start in the throat- pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer. Pharyngeal cancer forms in the pharynx while laryngeal cancer forms in the larynx or the voice box.

Causes of Throat Cancer
Recognizing potential signs of throat cancer in the early stages of the disease is not easy. Hence, it’s critical to know the causes and risk factors for developing this type of cancer in order to be able to diagnose it at a relatively early stage of the disease and prevent a fatality. Common risk factors and causes of throat cancer include:

1. Gender – Men are up to five times more likely to get throat cancer as compared to women.
2. Age - Now even young persons in their twenties and thirties are coming with throat cancer.
3. Exposure to certain chemicals like Asbestos, Nickel, and Sulphuric acid fumes.

The common ‘lifestyle’ causes for throat cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco, as per WHO there is no minimum safe limit of alcohol, vitamin A deficiency due to a diet deficient in green vegetables, and infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer in women and occurs due to unsafe sex.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and poor dental hygiene are also some of the known causes.

The association of throat cancer with HPV infection, a sexually transmitted virus is very interesting. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America has stated that HPV infection is a risk factor for certain oropharyngeal throat cancers.

Cancer Research UK also warns that oral sex, especially with multiple partners, leads to oral cancers due to HPV infection. It further states that men are also more prone to get infected with HPV through oral sex than women and HPV infection is more common in men who have oral sex with multiple partners.

Apart from this, throat cancer has also been linked to other types of cancers like esophageal, lung or bladder. So, if you’ve been diagnosed with any of these, you are at greater risk of contracting throat cancer. These cancers also often have the same risk factors.

You can take a few steps to reduce your risk for throat cancer like stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake, maintain a healthy lifestyle – eat plenty of greens, reduce fat and salt intake, and lose excess weight by exercising regularly. You can also reduce your risk of HPV infection by limiting your sex partners and using condoms. Stop alcohol rather than reduce.

Tinnitus is a disorder which is characterized by a constant perception of a ringing noise in the ears. This is not the condition in itself, rather it signals some other underlying condition such as an ear injury or age related hearing loss. It is not a serious condition, although the symptoms can worsen with age. If you are affected by this disorder, you might experience or ‘hear’ a constant ringing sensation in the ears, even if there are no external sources of noise. These sounds could range from being a buzzing, ringing, to a hissing sound. This condition has mighty chances of interfering with your daily routine.

It is classified into two types:

1. Objective tinnitus: This disorder is caused by muscle contractions or a blood vessel problem.
2. Subjective tinnitus: The more commonly occurring type, it is caused by damage to the auditory nerves or regions of the brain that interpret sound.

The causes of this disorder are:

1. Exposure to loud noise: If you are exposed to loud noises such as the ones emanating from firearms or heavy machinery over a prolonged period, it can lead to tinnitus.
2. Aging: Aging can cause progressive loss of hearing, thus triggering tinnitus.
3. Blockage of the ear: There is earwax present in the ears, the function of which is to trap dirt and bacteria. Excessive earwax accumulation leads to loss of hearing, resulting in tinnitus.
4. Modifications of the ear bone: Any stiffening of the middle bone in the ear could impair your hearing and result in this condition.

Certain factors such as smoking, age, sex (men are prone to this disorder) and heart related disorders increase the risks of being affected by this condition.

Treatment
The treatment of this condition begins with the identification of the underlying condition, if any. The various treatment options are –

1. Removal of earwax: Excess earwax has gotten rid of which can relieve symptoms of tinnitus.
2. Suppression of noise: Certain machines, known as white noise machines, produce random sounds such as the sound of rain or the sounds of waves, thus eliminating the ‘hearing’ of sounds which are common to this condition.
3. Medications: Certain medications such as alprazolam and nortriptyline can help reduce the severity of the symptoms.