What is a Turbinate Reduction?

Nasal turbinates are fingerlike projection towards the sidewall of the nose which are covered by nasal lining, increasing the surface area of contact with inspired air, which helps with humidification, filtering and warming up the air. They poses erectile function which can cause their enlargement in certain inflammatory or compensatory scenarios, and as such they can paly an obstructive role in nasal breathing. That's where the concept of turbinate reduction for patients with nasal congestion comes into play. There are many different techniques with different level of aggressiveness to perform this and controversies exist in the medical literature as far as the efficacy, longevity and potential adverse effects of the procedure.

Hello and thanks for your question.
Turbinoplasty is a procedure which can improve the structure and architecture of these specific tissue between inside the nose. 
There are 3 pairs of turbinate inside each nostril. The lower or inferior turbinate is by far the largest one. Hypertrophy or enlargement of turbinates can lead to breathing difficulty. The surgery requires few days for recovery,  and can cause some discomfort. However, it responds nicely to pain medication. We use a soft splint which speeds up recovery. Sleep with head of bed elevated and follow all your surgeon's instructions.
Most pateints are very pleased with the improvement in the breathing.
Please note that a number of factors can lead to breathing difficulty through the nose.
Given that the nose and nasal breathing passages are three dimensional structures, a complete examination is needed to determine the diagnosis and the exact reason for breathing difficulty. In our office we used a headlight and other instrument to come up with the exact cause for this issue.  
The following are the 3 main reason for mouth breathing and difficulty breathing through the nose:
1. Septal deviation
2. Turbinate enlargement
3. Nasal Valve collapse
4. Major allergic rhinitis
5. Any combination of the above.
For patients who are searching for answer regarding above or turbinoplasty. I would highly recommend visiting a few plastic surgeons who specialize in this exacting and artistic procedure. In our office we provide patients with a personalized, individualized and complementary consultation to address these similar issues.
For more information and many before and after examples please see the link below.
Best wishes and good luck.
Dr. Sajjadian

Hi, 
The turbinates are bones covered with erectile tissue and mucosa that project inward from the lateral wall of the nasal cavity. They function to warm and humidify air before it gets to your lungs. They are susceptible to allergens in the air and can get inflamed and enlarged and block the nasal passages and cause breathing issues. If medical management with nasal steroids and antihistamine medications can help to shrink them to the appropriate size, surgery is needed. There are various techniques to shrink the turbinates, but in general you want to preserve the mucosa and remove or cauterize the erectile tissues that are responsible for the swelling if the turbinates. If the septum is deviated, a septoplasty may also be necessary. I recommend and evaluation by an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Mehdi Sina, MD

The nasal turbinates are bony structures covered by a mucous membrane lining the inside of the nose.  There are 3-4 turbinates on each side of the nose (inferior, middle, superior, and sometimes supreme).  Generally, the inferior turbinate is the most common of these to contribute to nasal obstruction as the majority of nasal airflow is through the inferior part of the nose.  The turbinates will swell in response to inflammation, which is often caused by nasal allergies.  The nasal obstruction related to enlarged turbinates tends to alternate from side to side as part of the nasal cycle.  This swelling may respond to a nasal steroid spray (like Flonase, Nasonex, etc) used on a daily basis over the course of 4-6 weeks, but many times, the turbinates remain enlarged and continue to cause nasal obstruction despite medical treatment.  
Many patients also have nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum, which will not respond to a nasal steroid spray or any other nasal decongestant because this is a fixed obstruction of bone or cartilage. 
While it is very common to shrink the turbinates at the time of septoplasty, your surgeon should perform a thorough history and physical exam to determine which procedures would benefit you the most. 
All the best,

The superior, middle, and inferior turbinates are outcroppings of the inner aspect of the lateral nasal passage which increase the surface area of the nasal mucosa.  The function of these structures is to warm and humidify the air that we breathe.  Enlargement of any or all of the turbinates can be secondary to anatomical air cells in the bone that forms the turbinates or due to allergy.  Although turbinate resection/ reduction has been heavily utilized in the past, its efficacy is questionable and over-resection leads to distinct problems.  If the issue the patient is suffering from is allergy, it makes more sense to treat the allergy than to treat the turbinate anatomically.