An exerpt from today's Washington Post:

"More than 80 percent of people have a bend in the dividing wall between the nostrils, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Of these, nearly a quarter have a septum so crooked that it blocks the nasal passage and produces such symptoms as recurrent sinus infections, snoring and a diminished sense of smell and taste.

Septoplasty, the modern-day outpatient procedure to correct a deviated septum, is one of the most common ENT (ear, nose, throat) procedures, with more than 1 million performed in the United States each year, according to Alpin Patel, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Unlike the ever-popular rhinoplasty, or "nose job" -- the external reshaping of the nose -- a septoplasty is performed internally, through the nostrils. Severely skewed portions of the septum may be removed entirely, or reshaped and repositioned."

Washington Post

E-mail Newsletters Washington Post, United States - 11 hours ago ... Unlike the ever-popular rhinoplasty, or "nose job" -- the external reshaping of the nose -- a septoplasty is performed internally, through the nostrils. ...