So, you tried everything you know possible to eliminate your recurring sinus symptoms, including prescription medications. Whether those therapeutics provided some measure of relief temporarily or none at all, it’s a good time for you to consider sinus surgery.
Many assume that sinusitis, the term used to describe acute and chronic sinus infections, is something they can ignore. They may not realize that this progressive condition requires proper treatment. Many remedies and medications do little to address the causes of sinus infections, increasing the likelihood of their symptoms continuing or resolving before returning and becoming worse. Surgery is usually necessary for treatment.
What Is Sinus Surgery?
It’s so easy to assume symptoms are due to a cold, the flu, COVID, or allergies. But when symptoms like a runny nose, fatigue, nasal congestion, bad breath, toothaches, ear pain, pressure around the eyes and in the head, and coughing occur several times a year, sinusitis is the most likely culprit.
Sinus surgery is the standard for treating persistent, severe, or chronic sinus infections. At the Southern California Sinus Institute, the following types of sinus surgery are available.
Outpatient Minimally Invasive Image-Guided Endoscopic sinus surgery effectively treats nasal issues that impair sinus health and function. It’s ideal for patients with unresponsive sinusitis infections, nasal congestion, polyps, tumors, severe deviated septums or infected nasal tissues. The procedure is also routinely prescribed to those suffering from decreased smell sensitivity and abnormal or damaged nasal tissues. This is done in 1-2 hours at an outpatient surgical center with patients under general anesthesia.
In-office endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive procedure. It effectively treats recurrent sinus infections and chronic sinusitis to alleviate sinus symptoms like pain, pressure, and discomfort and is for limited cases. It is performed in the office in under an hour under local anesthesia.
In-office Balloon sinuplasty is reserved for candidates with severely swollen tissues or blockages deep within the paranasal sinuses. The procedure is an outpatient procedure performed in-office in under 30 minutes with a surgical balloon to revise the airways without incisions. This is very similar to a dental procedure in the office.
Septoplasty is ideal for patients experiencing sinus problems and congestion because of a deviated septum. It effectively corrects defects that cause the septum to be lopsided by widening the nostrils and airways to improve sinus drainage, prevent future blockages, and reduce symptoms. It can be performed in the office under local for very mild cases or as an outpatient in the surgical center in under 30-45 minutes.
Revision endoscopic sinus surgery is an alternative to the types of sinus surgery previously mentioned. Dr. Cohen recommends this procedure for patients experiencing problematic/intractable sinus symptoms due to excessive scar and adhesion formation in the sinus spaces, complex tissue growths inside the nostrils, or a history of unsuccessful treatment. Dr. Cohen is a world expert in revision sinus surgery and helps his patients avoid further surgery ever again.
Dr. Alen Cohen is a highly experienced sinus surgeon with many years of experience providing patients with the safest and most effective solutions for acute and chronic sinus infections, nasal and sinus polyps, deviated septum, turbinate inflammation, and diseased or abnormal nasal tissues. He also specializes in electrical cauterization, turbinate reduction surgery, and microdebrider-assisted reduction.
Why Should I Consider Sinus Surgery?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably well acquainted with how troublesome, and debilitating sinus infections and chronic sinus issues can be. After all, those repeat episodes of headaches, nasal congestion due to obstructed nostrils, inflamed nasal airways, throat soreness, and other sinus infection complications can make you feel like you’re living in a nightmare.
Sinusitis is not always caused by upper respiratory infections or allergies. Often, the following issues play a role:
- Underlying dental infections
- Cystic fibrosis
- Low immunity
- Changes in atmospheric pressure
- Smoking and other air pollutants
- A septum deviation
- Nasal polyps
- Hypertrophied turbinates
- Airborne irritants
- Smoke exposure
- Autoimmune issues
Instead of losing time to illness and throwing money away on remedies and store-bought treatments that offer little to no long-term relief, you should see an ENT doctor in Los Angeles to learn more about sinus surgery and how you can benefit from it.
The Benefits of Sinus Surgery
It’s not easy for sinus sufferers to remain productive and pleasant when symptoms are present. Fortunately, sinus surgery offers the following benefits to make breathing and living more enjoyable.
- Alleviates facial and nasal pressure and pain
- Improves cognitive function
- Restores sleep quality and hygiene
- Reduces snoring
- Prevents irritability and poor moods
- Breathing is easier and unhampered by obstructions or infection
- Reduces the need for medications
- Fewer sinus infections and less severe symptoms
- Improves health and quality of life
Despite having sinus surgery, some patients may require medications to help alleviate residual or lingering congestion and discomfort during recovery. Because surgery clears the airways and restores normal sinus and nasal drainage, decongestants and steroid nasal sprays are more effective at soothing symptoms when administered post-operatively. Also, sometimes surgery doesn’t cure sinusitis, but it does make breathing easier.
Is Sinus Surgery Right for You?
The only way to confidently determine if you’re a good candidate for sinus surgery is to have a consultation with an ENT/sinus treatment specialist like Dr. Alen Cohen. Suppose your sinus symptoms are so severe and disruptive that they compromise your health, functioning, and quality of life, or their no longer manageable with conservative treatments like medications; you can benefit from sinus surgery.
Call (818) 888-7878 to talk to our nose & sinus expert, Dr. Alen Cohen, at the Southern California Sinus Institute today!
Dr. Alen Cohen provides treatment recommendations based on the patient’s profile and symptoms. He always recommends the most beneficial treatments to provide fast symptom relief, improve quality of life, and eliminate the need for repeated doctor visits.