Does rhinoplasty change the Voice?

When considering rhinoplasty, it is natural for a person to consider all the possible consequences of this surgery. Although the main focus will be on the new appearance of the nose, other questions might arise such as whether this surgery affects the voice or not.

Many rhinoplasty experts agree that surgery does not significantly alter the patient’s voice in terms of quality of speech. Prospective patients who rely on their voice in their profession, such as professional singers and speakers, may want to consult with their physician about variety of techniques that can be used to prevent these subtle changes.

A study conducted in Iran showed that in 27 patients whom were followed up for 6 months period post operation, subtle changes were experienced. In other words, if patient suffers from nasal voice or hoarseness, rhinoplasty could improve the quality of voice by opening the airflow passages

Rhinoplasty generally does not change the sound

Concerns about whether rhinoplasty may affect sound have been debated by many surgeons. Many experienced physicians in the United States have scrutinized recent research and believe that these results are inconclusive and not widely cited. Some experts claim that they have performed thousands of rhinoplasties and only a small number of patients have noticed a slight change in their voice.

Choose an experienced surgeon for rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is a delicate surgical procedure. When performing rhinoplasty, it is important to choose a doctor who is specialized in facial plastic surgery who also understands the internal structures of the nose (having an ENT background is an advantage).

In general, if you are not a singer or TV presenter, the effect of rhinoplasty on your voice is not so worrying. For those vocalists who are looking to improve their voice, increasing flexibility is often possible, provided that internal deviations are created. Experienced doctors understand the importance of your unique voice, which is part of your identity. Deciding to change the structure of your nose does not mean that you have to change your current self.

What does nasal sound mean?

Everyone is different in terms of sound quality. People who have a nasal voice seem to have a stuffy or runny nose and speak in this condition, both of which are possible reasons for talking in the nose.

The human voice is produced when air leaves the lungs and is transmitted to the mouth through the vocal cords and throat. The resulting sound quality is called resonance. There are two types of nasal sounds; Hyponasal, in which speech occurs through the nose due to a lack of air when speaking. As a result, the sound does not have enough resonance and hypernasal, which is caused by excessive leakage of air into the nose when speaking. In this case, the air greatly increases the resonance of the sound.

What does nasal sound like?

A hyponasal sound can block the sound, as if the nose were stuffy. This is the sound that a person makes when talking to a snub nose. The person may have these symptoms along with nasal voice:

• Nasal congestion or runny nose
• Difficulty breathing through the nose
• Nasal discharge
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Loss of smell and taste
• Pain around the eyes, cheeks and forehead
• Headache
• Snoring
• Halitosis

As mentioned before the hypernasal sound sounds as if a person is talking through his nose and is accompanied by air leakage.

What causes nasal nose sound?

• Several factors control the quality of a person’s voice. These factors include the size and shape of the mouth, nose and throat, and the movement of air through these structures.
• Hyponasal sound is usually due to nasal obstruction. This blockage can be temporary – such as a cold, sinus infection or allergy. Or it may be due to a permanent structural problem such as:
• Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
• Septal deviation
• Nasal polyps

The main cause of hypernasal noise is a problem with pharyngeal valve, which is called velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD).

 

There are three types of VPDs:

• Velopharyngeal insufficiency due to a structural problem such as short soft palate.

Defects in the pharynx due to valve movement problems and non-closure of the entire path.

Velopharyngeal dysfunction occurs when a child does not properly learn how to control the movement of air through the throat and mouth.

These diseases are also known as resonance disorders.

How is nasal voice treated?

The treatment that your doctor recommends depends on the cause of your nose.

 

Treatment

Anticonvulsants, antihistamines, and steroid nasal sprays may help reduce swelling and relieve nasal congestion caused by allergies, sinus infections, polyps, or septal obstruction. Antibiotics can treat a sinus infection that has not healed and is caused by bacteria.

Surgery

Many of the structural problems that cause nasal congestion can be treated with surgery:

• Removal of tonsils or adenoids
• Septoplasty to correct septal deviation
• Endoscopic surgery to remove nasal polyps
• Palatoplasty and pharyngoplasty of the sphincter to lengthen the soft and short palate
• Corrective surgery for cleft palate in infants around 12 months of age

Speech Therapy

You can do speech therapy before or after the operation or on your own. A speech therapist first evaluates a person’s speech to find the best treatment.

Speech therapy teaches you how to move your lips, tongue and jaw to produce the right sounds. You will also learn how to have more control over your pharynx.

If you have a complication that causes you to have a nasal sound, there are many treatments available.

Structural problems such as polyps and septal aberrations are removed with surgery. Speech therapy can help you control the movement of air through your mouth and nose, so you can speak more clearly and confidently.

However, remember that everyone’s voice is unique in itself. If you feel that your voice is nasal, but you do not have any of the medical conditions we have mentioned, consider accepting it as part of yourself. We are often very sensitive to our voice./ Rhinoplasty in Iran

 

The human voice

As mentioned, the human voice, like talking, screaming, and shouting, is produced by the sound that humans make through the vocal cords. The frequency of human voice is specifically part of the human voice production system in which the vocal cords are the main source of sound.

In general, the mechanism of human voice production can be divided into three parts: the lungs, the vocal cords in the larynx (sound box), and the articulator.

The lungs, like the “pump,” must provide enough airflow and pressure to vibrate the vocal cords. The vocal cords vibrate to create auditory pulses that make up the laryngeal sound source, using airflow from the lungs. The laryngeal muscles adjust the length and tension of the vocal cords to create the “right tone”. Articulators (parts of the upper part of the larynx that include the tongue, palate, cheeks, lips, etc.) filter the sound produced by the larynx and can use the larynx to strengthen or weaken it to some extent by amplifying the airflow. .

Acoustic fibers in combination with articulators are able to produce complex arrays of sound. The tone of voice may be adjusted to reflect emotions such as anger, surprise, fear, happiness, or sadness. The human voice is used to express emotions and can also reveal the age and gender of the speaker.