Parker Breshears struggled for years with a collapsed septum that made breathing nearly impossible and affected his daily life. In 2024, he turned to 麻豆学生精品版鈥檚 Dr. Sarah R. Akkina, a double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
Parker Breshears first noticed his crooked nose when he was in middle school.
However, it wasn鈥檛 the appearance of his nose that pushed him to set up a consultation with a plastic surgeon last year. It was the fact that he couldn鈥檛 breathe.
Breshears had a deviated septum, leaving his entire right nostril obstructed. Over time, things got worse.
鈥淭he cartilage on the right side of my nose had collapsed,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen I would sleep and try to breathe at night, and even during the day, I couldn鈥檛 breathe. It wasn鈥檛 fun at all.鈥
When his breathing difficulties continued to disrupt the quality of his day to day life, he knew it was time to do something about it
He did his research and looked at his options before scheduling a consultation with Sarah R. Akkina, MD
Akkina is a Stanford fellowship-trained Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon and is a double board-certified surgeon in both Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. She has been with 麻豆学生精品版 since 2022.
After his consultation with Akkina, Breshears didn鈥檛 need to look any further. He was impressed.
鈥淭he minute I went into the consultation, I got nothing but positive vibes,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he is absolutely amazing.鈥
Akkina discussed the surgical options that could improve both the functionality and appearance of his nose.
鈥淧arker came in with both concerns about breathing through his nose as well as the appearance of his nose,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e worked to address both of those concerns in one surgery.鈥
For Akkina, setting realistic expectations is vital.
鈥淔rom a functional standpoint, I try to communicate very clearly the anatomic parts of a patient鈥檚 nose that we can improve with surgery,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 also address any areas that will need to be managed from a medication standpoint.鈥
To address cosmetic changes, Akkina starts with high quality photographs of each patient and then uses photo morphing to give patients an idea of what the outcome will be.
鈥淚 do photo morphing to arrive at a goal of what the patient wants their nose to look like, and also what I think is possible from a surgical standpoint,鈥 she said.
No matter the surgery, Akkina is always realistic with her patients.
鈥淚 really loved how Akkina was really open and honest about what would look natural for my face,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 wanted it to look good, but I also needed it to be functional. I knew she would give me a really good result.鈥
Breshears had surgery on September 10, 2024. Since then, life has only gotten better.
鈥淢y nose was sensitive for the first few months, especially if I touched it or bumped it,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut honestly the healing has gone amazing.鈥
Now, a year after his surgery, he is enjoying life and breathing easily.
鈥淚 can literally do anything with my nose,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 also have almost no scarring, and I show people my nose and they say they can鈥檛 see any scars and would have never guessed that I have had surgery.鈥
Beyond his new look, the improved function of his nose has been a life changer.
Breshears loves Utah winters, and skis as much as he can each year. Because of his breathing issues, he could never use a face covering to keep warm while skiing.
鈥淢y nose would always hurt from being so cold, since I could never use a face covering to keep warm,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I couldn鈥檛 breathe if I kept my nose covered.鈥
The first time he went skiing after surgery, he was anxious to see if his breathing had really improved.
鈥淚 went this season, and I used the face cover, and it was amazing,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 could breathe, and I had no problems.鈥
When he鈥檚 not skiing, Breshears loves working out. He recently started tumbling again after taking a few years off, and he loves attending mat Pilates and hot reformer Pilates classes.
鈥淚 used to have to step out of the room and catch my breath when I was in a class working out,鈥 he said. 鈥淣ow I can do all of these activities without even worrying about that. Getting the surgery seriously changed my life.鈥
Breshears isn鈥檛 the only one who is happy about his result. Akkina is too.
鈥淧arker had a wonderful outcome, which is what I strive to have with every single patient,鈥 she said.
