I had sinus surgery just over a year ago. Will my sense of smell return?

Question

I had sinus surgery just over a year ago and I still can not smell anything! Will it ever come back?

Jason J. Durel, MD · Answer

Excellent question. In most cases, sinus surgery improves a person’s sense of smell, although that doesn’t typically occur right away, especially if the septum or turbinates were involved. Swelling of the tissue may prohibit smell for many months in some patients, but most will regain the ability eventually. Unfortunately, the longer you go without it, the less likely it might be to return. I recommend you schedule an appointment with your surgeon or another board-certified otolaryngologist for a full examination to rule out any other issues that might be interfering with your sense of smell. Good luck to you!
- Jason J. Durel, MD

Levente S. Deak, MD, PhD · Answer

The main question here is whether you lost your smell sensation before or only after the surgery?
If you lost it before and despite the maximal conservative treatment plus the surgery, your smell has not returned till now ,it`s unlikely you will get it back.
 If the smell has gone after the surgery I would suggest you to take a course of oral steroids , increase the nasal irrigation and apply a nasal steroid. If it still does`t help do an MRI and a proper blood work in order to exclude any other ethological factors.

Julian W. Dixon, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. I am sorry to hear you are having this problem. The vast majority of patients have an improvement in their sense of smell after a sinus surgery. Unfortunately there are a minority of patients for whom the opposite occurs. If there is any sense of smell there is reason to believe that things should improve with time. Often medications (sprays) can interfere with the ability to smell, so you may consider stopping any sprays temporarily. If there is no sense of smell whatsoever then the prognosis may not be as good. Hang in there and be sure to address you concerns with your surgeon. Hope this helps.

I had sinus surgery just over a year ago. Will my sense of smell return?

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