Chronic sinusitis or multiple episodes of acute sinusitis that do not respond to medical treatments should be reasons enough for considering nose surgery.
Functional nasal surgery such as septoplasty or balloon sinuplasty can improve breathing by straightening the wall of cartilage that separates your nostrils, while some patients choose cosmetic enhancements at the same time.
Increased airflow
Your sinuses are air-filled sacs connected to your nasal passages that help humidify and filter the air you breathe, producing mucus to trap foreign particles and bacteria. However, when these sinuses become inflamed they cannot drain properly, leading to mucus build-up which causes pressure around the nose and eyes and pressure headaches. In addition, blocked sinuses may irritate surrounding tissue which in turn causes pain or even snoring!
FESS and balloon sinuplasty surgery can open drainage passages to restore normal sinus function and open blocked nostrils. Furthermore, this minimally invasive solution may address other structural issues which cause breathing issues, including an irregular septum, enlarged turbinates or narrowed nostrils that cause breathing difficulties.
Dependent upon your symptoms, healthcare providers may advise various forms of sinus surgery. For instance, if you suffer from a crooked septum or another condition that impairs how your sinuses drain, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) could be the perfect solution to widen drainage passages in your nasal sinuses and remove bone or tissue blocking drainage – and healthcare providers often utilize endoscopes – thin tubes equipped with lights – for this procedure.
A 2019 small study concluded that FESS improved sinus symptoms for 81% of participants. Furthermore, this form of nose surgery was less invasive and caused fewer side effects than previous options; should your sinuses still become blocked after surgery, further treatment options such as revision might be considered as well as potential revision surgeries to correct this condition.
Another popular form of nose surgery, septoplasty corrects an improperly aligned or misalign septum that causes sinus obstruction. For this procedure, your surgeon makes an incision inside of your nose in order to access its bones and cartilage layers; from there they’ll use instruments to straighten this structure while, if needed, alter its shape by either adding or subtracting pieces of cartilage to achieve their goal of improving breathing while significantly decreasing snoring. Having this done can significantly decrease snoring while improving breathing significantly as well.
Once your procedure is over, gauze will be placed underneath your nose to catch drainage and change it as necessary. Do not take aspirin or other medications that might increase bleeding. Expect mild-moderate discomfort for one week post-surgery; your provider should likely prescribe pain medication and antibiotics. Some functional nose surgeries such as septoplasty may even be covered by insurance plans; check with them first to make sure your procedure qualifies.
Less mucus production
Sinusitis occurs when infections cause the sinus lining to become swollen and inflamed, plugging drains and increasing pressure within. This results in symptoms such as nasal congestion, facial pain, yellow or green discharge and decreased sense of smell. Surgery to improve nasal drainage clears away buildup while decreasing inflammation for better breathing while decreasing frequency and severity of future sinus infections.
Sinus infections are typically caused by bacteria. To treat them, your doctor may recommend oral or topical antibiotics for a set period. While antibiotics will reduce your symptoms temporarily, they will not resolve their source – therefore medical nasal therapies must continue post-surgery to keep symptoms at bay.
Functional Endoscopic Sin Surgery (FESS), commonly used to widen sinus passageways by removing bone or diseased tissue and opening them up so mucus can drain normally, is the most popular form of sinus surgery. An endoscope, with lights and surgical tools attached at either end, or image-guided surgery (balloon sinuplasty or Caldwell Luc procedure) are used during FESS procedures.
Reshaping your nose requires an internal incision to reach bone and cartilage, followed by trimming, shaping and molding to your desired shape. Once complete, healthcare providers may place a splint or packing in your nose in order to help it keep its new form, which also helps reduce any swelling, bruising or inflammation in your nose; this should be removed within one week.
Saline rinses can help clear away mucus and decrease swelling after nasal surgery. Humidifiers may also provide comfort by moistening the air and decreasing nasal dryness that irritates sinuses. Pressing warm or cool compresses against your nose may provide additional relief from nasal discomfort by decreasing swelling and congestion.
Less inflammation
If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, medical professionals may suggest surgery as a solution. Your surgeon would remove swollen tissue, nasal polyps, growths, fluid or any obstructions to alleviate sinus pressure and increase airflow through your sinuses. Furthermore, this procedure can help drain away congestion to decrease inflammation in your nose as well as increase drainage which reduces blockedness in your nasal passages.
Septoplasty, or nasal septoplasty, is a surgical technique used to correct an abnormal nasal septum – which consists of thin walls of bone and cartilage that separate the nostrils – whether caused by birth defects or injury, which blocks one side of your nose reducing airflow and creating an uncomfortable blocked sensation. A septoplasty can also be performed for cosmetic reasons such as reshaping your nose; in combination with other procedures designed to treat more extensive sinus issues.
If your nose collapses severely, your surgeon may need to use bone or tissue grafts from synthetic materials, allogenous (from deceased bodies) or autologous material (collected from you personally) sources in order to rebuild its structure. Once in place, these grafts will be attached directly to the nasal septum in order to support and keep the nose upright.
Determining whether or not you experience stuffy feelings after having nose surgery depends upon the type of procedure performed. Stuffiness typically stems from swelling in the tissues, and can often be reduced by using a Neti pot or saline spray to irrigate your nose eight to ten times daily with salt water for nasal irrigation.
If you continue to feel congested after surgery, your physician may suggest decongestants either in spray or pill form to ease discomfort. They also advise resting with the head elevated as much as possible, limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption, drinking plenty of water and using a humidifier or cool mist vaporizer in order to maintain moist air in your nose and reduce inflammation. Stuffiness typically subsides within a week of surgery while any residual bruising could last two weeks; you should schedule an appointment with your physician in order to ensure normal dissolving.
Less pain
Pain associated with sinus surgery tends to be manageable and typically only lasts a few days after the procedure is performed. Bruising may take weeks to fade away completely and your nose may remain swollen from the procedure; your doctor may provide medication to manage pain and swelling, and it is essential that you follow his or her instructions for taking them as prescribed. Sleeping with your head elevated and wearing loose clothing will help minimize swelling; in addition, using a humidifier keeps the air moist for added benefit.
If swollen sinus tissue is compressing surrounding tissues, you may experience increased pressure in other parts of your face and lead to headaches that can only be relieved by elevating your head – either with a pillow under it or by using a body pillow for support of upper back and neck area. To alleviate headaches caused by sinus swelling and pressure on other parts of face elevate head using pillow under head or body pillow and elevate. This may ease headache symptoms.
Your doctor will likely require follow-up visits after surgery to ensure proper healing of the surgery site. At these visits, care team will clean out your sinuses to remove excess fluid and blood build-up in them – although these visits can be uncomfortable, they’re essential in making sure everything heals as planned.
Your doctor will make an incision near one of your second molars inside your mouth in order to gain access to the nasal passage and add or subtract cartilage as necessary to change its shape. After reshaping bone and cartilage structures, an internal and external splint will be put on your nose until its healing site heals fully.
Risks associated with sinus surgery may include an infection and changes to your sense of smell or taste; however, these complications are extremely rare and can usually be treated using antibiotics or additional surgeries. Furthermore, you may experience vision changes due to damage done to sinuses near the eyes – although this condition is unlikely but permanent in nature.
Even after surgery has reduced inflammation and mucus production, you will probably still suffer from sinus infections from time to time. Therefore it is crucial that medical treatment such as saline rinses or medication such as nasal sprays and steroids be maintained as part of ongoing medical therapy for best results.
