Difficulty breathing through your nose can be an annoying symptom and can affect your daily life as well as your sleeping habits. Persistent difficulty breathing through your nose is most often caused by a nasal obstruction. If you’ve previously sought help with little to no results, an inferior turbinate reduction may be the solution you’re looking for.

Your inferior turbinates are hotdog like structures that sit along the floor of your nose. These structures can become enlarged from allergies, the frequent use of a decongestant spray, or age-related autonomic dysfunction (a disease commonly seen in the elderly that inhibits the functioning of their autonomic nervous system such as heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate and more). In other cases, your turbinates have been simply large since birth. No matter the cause, an inferior turbinate reduction can offer symptom relief and get you breathing better now.

A minimally-invasive procedure, an inferior turbinate reduction is performed with an endoscope (small camera) and small instruments in order to reduce scarring and recovery time. During the procedure, a rhinologist like Dr. Kuperan will reduce your inferior turbinates to expand the nasal passageway through the nostrils. This does not affect the cosmetic appearance of your nose, but can definitely help you breathe better immediately after the procedure. Additionally, this treatment leaves no cuts or visible scars, because everything is done through the nostrils.

However, not every patient with a nasal obstruction qualifies for an inferior turbinate reduction. Nasal obstruction can be caused by other factors, such as nasal polyps, a deviated septum, a nasal valve collapse or a combination of any of these issues. Fortunately, Dr. Kuperan knows that treating only one problem when there are multiple will not improve nasal symptoms associated with breathing. He is highly skilled at determining the cause of your symptoms and coming up with the best treatment for you.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Kuperan, call 832-720-NOSE (6673) today.