The septum is a thin piece of cartilage and bone inside the nose between the right and left sides. It is about seven centimetres long in adults. In some people this septum is bent into one or both sides of the nose, blocking it. Sometimes this is because of an injury to the nose, but sometimes it just grows that way.

If you have a blocked nose because of the bend in the septum, an operation will help. Sometimes the surgeon will need to straighten out a bent septum to enable them room to do other things, such as sinus surgery. Is it important to know that the operation is not meant to change the way your nose looks.

In some cases a bent septum may occur with a twist in the outside shape of the nose. In these cases septal surgery may be combined with nose re-shaping surgery (septorhinoplasty) to straighten the nose.

If you have been informed that you have a bent septum you don't need to worry as it will not do you any harm, so you can just leave it alone if you want to. Only you can decide if it is causing you so much bother that you want to proceed with an nose operation.