Technical Report: Effectiveness of Facial Exercise Therapy and Facial Anthropometric Measurements in Recurrent Septal Deviation After Rhinoplasty

Eşme S, Yaşa B, Kaya B, Bilecenoğlu B.

PubMed 41198886 Publisher (DOI)Free full text (PMC)

What this paper says

A single case report in which a 23-year-old woman with recurrent septal deviation and facial asymmetry after rhinoplasty did two months of facial massage and muscle exercises, and her measured nasal axis deviation fell from 7.3 to 3.1 degrees.

Overview

This is a technical report of one patient. The authors propose that septal deviation contributes to soft-tissue facial asymmetry and tested a two-month regimen: unilateral massage in month one and bilateral muscle-strengthening exercises in month two. Standardised photographs and digital geometric analysis were taken at baseline, one month and two months.

Sections of note

One patient, 23 years old, female, with recurrent septal deviation after rhinoplasty.
Nasal axis deviation reduced from 7.3 to 3.1 degrees on photographs.
Vertical and horizontal facial proportions improved; the philtrum and nostrils repositioned.
Level of Evidence IV; the authors call for further studies before any guideline.

What it means for a patient

This is one person's photographic measurements, not evidence that exercises straighten a septum.
Soft-tissue changes can alter how straight a nose looks in a photograph without changing the cartilage.
No one should substitute exercises for surgical assessment of a deviated septum on the basis of this report.

Why this paper matters

It raises a hypothesis about soft-tissue contribution to post-rhinoplasty asymmetry. Limits: n = 1, no control, photographic measures only, no imaging of the septum itself.

Terms

Septal deviation: a bend in the wall dividing the two nasal passages.
Nasal axis: the line from the bridge root to the tip; its angle from the facial midline measures crookedness.
Anthropometric measurement: standardised measurement of facial dimensions.
Philtrum: the groove between nose and upper lip.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-08; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

Abstract

Background: Nasal septum deviation can contribute to facial asymmetry by affecting skeletal and soft tissue balance. This technical report presents a 23-year-old female who developed recurrent septal deviation and facial asymmetry after rhinoplasty.

Methods: A two-month structured facial exercise regimen was implemented: unilateral massage for the first month and bilateral muscle-strengthening exercises in the second. Standardized facial photographs and digital geometric analysis were used at baseline, one month, and two months.

Results: Improvements were observed in vertical and horizontal proportions, with nasal axis deviation reduced from 7.3° to 3.1°, alongside repositioning of the philtrum and nostrils.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that facial exercises may enhance postoperative symmetry and surgical stability. Further studies are warranted to establish clinical guidelines. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Abstract as indexed by PubMed; the article is open access (PubMed Central).