Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS)

Overview

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a minimally invasive procedure to open your blocked sinuses so they can drain and heal properly. Your surgeon uses small instruments to remove polyps, inflamed tissue, or bone blocking your sinus openings. 

Understanding Your Condition

Your sinuses drain mucus through small openings along your nasal walls. When something blocks these openings, mucus builds up and causes headaches, difficulty breathing, poor sleep, and reduced sense of smell. 

Common causes of blockage include chronic inflammation, nasal polyps, fungal or bacterial infections, bone overgrowth, and tumors. 

FESS can successfully eliminate these causes and improve symptoms. 

Candidates

Benefits

Your symptoms drop by half. Nasal obstruction, facial pressure, headaches, and sense of smell all improve significantly, most patients go from moderate-severe symptoms to only mild ones.  

You sleep better. Patients report fewer sleep disruptions and better overall sleep quality after surgery. 

You rely less on medications. Most patients reduce or stop daily nasal sprays and other sinus medications.  

You miss less work. Patients take fewer sick days and report higher overall productivity

Common Misconceptions

 Surgery will change my nose shape or face. 

FESS only treats the inside of your sinuses, it does not change how your nose or face looks. 

They break bones and cut my face. 

Your surgeon works entirely through your nostrils. No external cuts, no bone-breaking. They use a small camera and fine instruments to open your natural sinus drainage pathways. 

I'll get black eyes and a swollen face. 

Because everything happens through your nostrils, you won't develop bruising, black eyes, or facial swelling. 

Nasal sprays and rinses should be enough. 

Saline rinses, sprays, and steam provide real symptom relief and support your treatment. However, surgery showed superiority over medications as they cannot remove polyps, clear structural blockages, or resolve the deep inflammation driving your chronic sinusitis.

Risks

FESS is a safe procedure with minimal complications. The major complication rate is about 0.5-1%, and the minor complication rate is ~7%.