SE Valley Times

The issues that people deal with when they live with chronic sinusitis -- pressure in the face, a stuffy nose that doesn’t go away, limited sense of smell or taste -- haven’t changed, but the options available to deal with it have.

There are many ways chronic sinusitis can affect a patient's life, such as disrupted sleep and concentration issues, according to WebMD. Luckily, medical professionals have come up with several ways to fix the problem that may mean sinus sufferers don’t have to depend on medication every day.

Surgery is one of those options and has been for years, but the new way that doctors perform the surgery means less discomfort and a faster recovery time for patients. The goal of most nasal surgeries is to reduce the frequency of infections, as well as relieving the patient's symptoms.

Dr. John Stewart | Arizona Breathe Free

Common surgical interventions for sinus sufferers include an endoscopy, which is useful when there’s an obstruction in the nose, like polyps, says MySinusitis.com. For those who don’t have an obstruction in their sinuses but do have other issues, balloon sinuplasty is an option.

“Balloon sinuplasty is offered in-office, which means no hospitals and those extra hidden fees are avoided,” Dr. John Stewart, an otolaryngologist at Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, told the SE Valley Times. Arizona Breathe Free is located in Scottsdale. “This procedure is minimally invasive, safe, painless, fast and effective! This procedure typically takes around 30 minutes and then you are on your way back home.”

Depending on which type of procedure the patient has and how the body handles the recovery period, the patient could be dealing with a couple of days of recovery, up to  a couple of weeks. In fact, if the surgery is one of the less-invasive methods, patients could return to a desk job in just a few days, according to MySinusitis.com.

Curious about how sinus surgery could help to improve your quality of life? This Sinus Quiz can provide answers.