If you’ve been diagnosed with nasal polyps, don’t worry. Most times, your doctor would prescribe medications to reduce or eliminate them. However, when they fill the nasal passages, endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive way of getting you relief quickly.

Keep reading to learn more about how you can get rid of nasal polyps.

What Are Nasal Polyps?

Nasal polyps are noncancerous growths on the lining of your nasal passages. They may be caused by frequent infections, allergies, immunological diseases, and aspirin sensitivity.

Small nasal polyps may not be noticeable at first and barely cause any symptoms. However, larger clusters of nasal polyps can obstruct nasal passages and cause breathing difficulties.

Nasal polyps can affect people of all age groups, although adults are more susceptible to them.

How to Get Rid of Nasal Polyps

1.  Consult a Doctor

While nasal polyps are usually benign, they can be mimics for more serious conditions such as tumors and cancers. They also can grow to cause worsening symptoms of chronic sinusitis. We recommend you see a trusted medical professional. An otolaryngologist can provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

2.  Medicines that Reduce Inflammation

Doctors usually prescribe the following medications to reduce inflammation. Your doctor would likely prescribe nasal corticosteroids to reduce swelling and inflammation. However, if they aren’t very effective, they might prescribe oral corticosteroids such as prednisone, along with a nasal spray to ease your symptoms.

Nasal steroid sprays and rinses are available over-the-counter or by prescription. They can make your runny nose more manageable, and reduce your nasal congestion difficulties. If you’re also experiencing an infection, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics to ease your symptoms.

3.  Sinus Surgery

When treating your nasal polyps with drugs doesn’t work, you may need to undergo an endoscopic surgery to remove your polyps. This is an outpatient surgery where your surgeon uses an endoscopic guidance to remove nasal polyps from your sinuses.

Following the procedure, you may need to use a nasal corticosteroidal spray or other anti-inflammatory medications to help prevent nasal polyps from recurring. Using a saline rinse can promote healing after your surgery.

It might take up to a week or two to recover from surgery, during which time, we recommend that you not strain too much. In some cases, your nose may bleed somewhat in the initial days following surgery.

Dr. Eric F. Succar, M.D. is a board-certified otolaryngologist (ENT) who practices adult and pediatric ENT specializing in complex sinus, nasal, and skull base disorders. Get in touch with him if you’re looking for an expert’s opinion on nasal polyps. You can visit his clinic in Waterford, MI (Oakland County). He also treats patients from Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Pontiac, and Troy, MI. You can reach him at (248) 254-8900 or contact him online.