Deviated Septum
Introduction
The septum is the cartilage which sits in the middle of the nose separating the right and left nostrils. Having a bent septum is very common, the statistics demonstrate that somewhere in the order of 96% of people have some degree of bend in the septum which may or may not cause problems.
Causes
There are 2 main causes of having a bent septum:
- Congenital – The way your nose has grown is a very common cause of having a bend in your septum.
- Broken nose – When you have trauma to your nose it is very common that you may have fractured your septum. Even minor trauma can cause a fracture of the septal cartilage.
Symptoms
Many people have no symptoms from having a deviated septum, and if this is the case then nothing needs to be done about it. Symptoms which a deviated septum may cause include:
- Blocked nose.
- Deformity of nose.
Dr Robinson will examine your nose with a naso-endoscope to see if you have a deviated septum. If you do have a deviated septum and it is causing problems with breathing, then it is an option to have either a septoplasty or a functional rhinoplasty.
Treatment Options
In general, there are 2 treatments for a deviated septum – either a septoplasty which means to straighten the septum, or a functional rhinoplasty which means to reconstruct the septum entirely. Dr Robinson will discuss these treatment options with you at the time of your consultation.
Gallery
You can view before and after patient photos of Deviated Septum in the Functional Rhinoplasty Gallery.
Related Information
Functional Rhinoplasty
Septoplasty
To discuss fixing your deviated septum, please make an appointment with Dr Dan Robinson.
