Are There Ways to Prevent Sinusitis?

Suffering from chronic sinusitis? If you can’t get through a season without something triggering a sinus infection, it’s time to get proactive. Surgical intervention can often resolve the core cause of sinusitis and give you lasting relief.

SLENT, or South Louisiana Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastics, has multiple locations throughout Mandeville, Hammond, and Slidell, Louisiana. Our experienced otolaryngology specialists can help determine why you get recurring sinusitis and explain your various preventive treatment options.

Why some people get chronic sinusitis 

The sinuses are located behind your forehead, cheekbones, eyes, and nose. When these small, air-filled pockets get clogged with an overproduction of mucus (typically in response to an allergen or an infection), you can have severe pressure, pain, headaches, sneezing, and other symptoms connected to sinusitis. 

In some cases, a depressed immune system can lead to repeated bouts of sinusitis. However, other people have some sort of sinus-related defect putting them at higher risk for sinusitis, such as nasal polyps, a deviated septum, or even bone spurs (growths) inside the nasal cavity. 

Preventive treatment for sinusitis

Typically, sinus infections are treated with a combination of antibiotics or steroids and home or over-the-counter remedies. This can feel hopeless if you suffer repeated infections and spend the greater part of each year either in the throes of or recovering from sinusitis. 

We provide a range of surgical interventions based on the root cause of your sinus issues:

Sinuplasty

Balloon sinuplasty is ideal if your nasal passages are narrowed, causing them to become easily congested over and over. We perform this minimally invasive surgical procedure in our office using a tiny high-definition camera on a flexible wand (endoscope) inserted into your nostril.

We carefully position a small balloon on the tip of the endoscope, using the camera to ensure it’s in the right place. Then we inflate the balloon to put pressure on your sinuses and open the passages up. A quick flush to remove congestion and open up more space in your sinus cavities for drainage in the future, and we’re done.

Septoplasty

A severely deviated septum can cause even more severe sinusitis, but this can be permanently corrected using a surgery called septoplasty. We carefully open the nose and clear away unnecessary tissue, readjusting the bones and cartilage to allow your sinuses to straighten. 

This operation typically reduces congestion and can stop chronic sinusitis. It may help you breathe and sleep better at night as well, often reducing or eliminating snoring.

Ready to say goodbye to sinusitis? Schedule a consultation with the experts at SLENT by calling the location closest to you, or visit the contact page for more information.