Chronic sinusitis affects an estimated 11% of the Los Angeles population, and about 2 out of 3 of the cases our Los Angeles head and neck doctors see are for this condition. Chronic sinusitis refers to inflamed or irritated sinuses that stay that way for months without any relief.
While your sinus issues in Los Angeles may start off as an allergic reaction to the high pollen count or air pollution, they can quickly develop into symptoms that are so severe that they interrupt your daily life. You may need sinus surgery if you experience the following symptoms:
These symptoms occur because the drainage of mucus from your sinuses is obstructed or otherwise not happening naturally. When there’s a buildup of excess mucus, it’s common to experience the above symptoms; they are all triggered by the mucus that is clogged in your sinuses.
If you have a job like serving, singing, or any other position that requires the heavy use of your voice, chronic sinus problems can start to negatively impact your career. Regardless of what your career is, sinus problems can negatively impact your daily life as well since they cause chronic discomfort. If you have this condition, it may be hard to find the right sinus pressure relief in Los Angeles for you.
Many sinus sufferers have to resort to surgery when all other options are ineffective. Luckily, most sinus surgery is minimally invasive and conducted on an outpatient basis. This means that you won’t be under any heavy anesthesia and you can leave the office the same day.
The reason why so many people have surgery to get sinus relief in LA is that their nasal passages are obstructed either by thick mucus or some sort of nasal abnormality, such as a deviated septum. During Los Angeles sinus surgery, an ENT doctor will manually clear out your sinuses, flushing the mucus out with a saline solution or removing it with a surgical tool.
One of the key issues behind sinus disorders such as chronic sinusitis is the lack of a proper opening in the nasal passage. If the passageways are not clear enough, mucus cannot be drained properly, leading to a buildup and then an infection. You may need an external support placed into your nasal cavity to maintain an opening.
In addition to your nasal surgery, our ENT doctor in Los Angeles can provide another form of relief: a stent that can keep your nasal passages propped open to allow the natural drainage of mucus.
Surgery to help the function of your sinuses has a very high patient satisfaction rate, but the benefits of the surgery will only last so long if the root problem is not addressed. In some cases, a patient’s nasal passage needs to be expanded.
ENT specialists have begun using new technology called the Propel sinus stent, which is a drug-releasing, dissolvable sinus stent to continue the healing process of sinus issues. Not every head and neck doctor is using a stent as a post-operative method if maintaining clear sinuses, but the ENT specialists in LA at Westside Head & Neck have found that this method is great for continued sinus pressure relief.
When you have sinus surgery in one of our two LA offices, we will carry out the traditional sinus surgery, but we can place the stent after the procedure has been completed. Your Propel sinus stint will continue to keep your airways open after you leave the doctor’s office.
The Propel sinus stint is approved by the FDA, which means it’s safe for your body. The sinus stint will give you Los Angeles sinus pressure solutions in two ways; it will physically keep your nasal passage open, and it will also reduce inflammation in the nasal cavity. In addition to providing this essential support for sinus relief, the stint also contains steroids that it releases over the course of a month to continue professional sinus congestion treatment. The steroids will help reduce your inflammation for up to a month.
The newly opened sinus will need to be kept open, and the steroids the stint releases will help your passageways open long after the stint is gone. You don’t have to worry about returning to the doctor’s office to get the stint removed because it will be naturally absorbed by the body.
The Propel sinus stent is gaining popularity because it works on multiple levels. Not only does it physically support your sinuses to keep them open, but it also provides long-term relief by administering anti-inflammatory medicine. By using a sinus stent after your surgery, you likely won’t need an additional surgical intervention for a year or more after surgery.
The board-certified ENT doctors of Westside Head & Neck treat all general conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. Every doctor under Westside Head & Neck has extensive training in the treatment of:
Even more serious conditions such as neck, mouth, and throat cancer can also be diagnosed and operated on by ENTs. We accept most PPO insurance plans, Medicare, and select HMO’s to keep hearing, swallowing, and breathing relief open to more Los Angelenos. Our two offices are located in Santa Monica and Culver City. To set up an appointment to discuss your ENT issues with any of our physicians at either location, please call (310) 361-5128 or email appointments@westsidehn.com.