The inferior turbinates are little bones that stick out into the nose from the side. They can often become hypertrophic (enlarged). This can occur for a variety of reasons with the most common being allergies. Often, treatments for allergies such as nasal sprays and allergy shots will help prevent your turbinates from becoming too large and causing nasal obstruction.

However, sometimes nasal sprays and allergy shots do not provide enough relief or sometimes you can’t wait years for the allergy shots to take effect. If your allergies aren’t under great control, and you are suffering from nasal obstruction, you may be a candidate for an inferior turbinate reduction.