The septum is the wall in the middle of the nose. Normally, it is straight and separates the nose into left and right cavities. The septum is composed of cartilage in the front and bone in the back, and extends from the tip of the nose to the back of the throat. A deviated nasal septum can be caused by many factors, the most common of which is trauma. Trauma to the nose can be sustained at an older age or even as a crawling toddler who falls on his/her face. Though the cartilage is weak and can be easily bent, there may be no bleeding or external injury at all. Deviated septae often go undiagnosed and only come to light at a much older age due to breathing issues. Sometimes, however, a deviated nasal septum can be so severe that it also causes cosmetic issues because it makes the nose look crooked or bent. When a deviated nasal septum is mild, there are usually no breathing issues so surgical intervention is not required. When the deviation is severe, however, nasal obstruction can occur, causing breathing difficulties from the nose, in which case nasal septum deviation septoplasty may be called for. During nasal septum deviation septoplasty, Dr. Dugar uses tiny incisions inside the nose (no external cuts or scars) to access the deviated portions of septal cartilage and bone. He then removes or straightens these deviated portions in order to rebuild a completely straight septum, which provides enhanced breathing for life. After the nasal septum deviation septoplasty, the removed pieces of cartilage will be used as grafts to strengthen the nasal valves as an added bonus.